Study: Minimum drinking age 21 saves lives

CALVERTON, Md., July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. laws aimed at preventing consumption of alcohol by those under age 21 have significantly reduced drinking-related fatal car crashes, researchers say.

The study, published in the July issue of the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, found laws making it illegal to possess or purchase alcohol by anyone under the age of 21 had led to an 11 percent drop in alcohol-related traffic deaths among youth. The study also found states with strong laws against fake IDs reported 7 percent fewer alcohol-related fatalities among drivers under the age of 21.

Study leader James C. Fell of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation said the study accounted for improved vehicle safety features, better roadways, tougher adult drunk driving laws, regional and economic differences and changes that lowered the illegal blood alcohol content for driving to 0.08.

"There has been evidence since the 1980s that an increase in the drinking age to 21 was having an impact on traffic deaths," Fell said in a statement. "But this is the first time we've been able to tease out the real effect, free of the variables that had been used to question the validity of the evidence."