ALCOHOL POLICIES AND HIGHWAY VEHICLE FATALITIES

This study investigates the impact of beer taxes and a variety of alco hol-control policies on motor vehicle fatality rates. Special attentio n is paid to omitted variables biases resulting from failing to adequa tely control for grassroots efforts to reduce drunk driving, the enact ment of other laws which simultaneously operate to reduce highway fata lities, and the economic conditions existing at the time the legislati on is passed. In the preferred models, most of the regulations have li ttle or no impact on traffic mortality. By contrast, higher beer taxes are associated with reductions in crash deaths and this result is rel atively robust across specifications.