WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- An analysis found fewer teens drink and drive in U.S. states that restrict the licenses of young drivers by granting graduated driving privileges.
About 10 percent of drivers age 15 to 17 nationally said they have driven under the influence of alcohol. Six percent were classified as heavy drinkers.
Drinking and driving increased as the restrictiveness of graduated license laws decreased, according Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Household Surveys conducted from 1999 through 2001.
In states with the most restrictive teen driving laws, 8.2 percent of young teens admitted driving under the influence in the past year. The admitted teen DUI rate was 11.5 percent in states with the least restrictive graduated licensing laws.
"These data show us an association between teens who value their driving privileges and states' actions to restrict driving privileges," said Charles Curie, who heads the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services.
