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Graduated Driver's Licenses Have a Definite Link With Lower Teen DUI Rates 

May 1, 2004

Young drivers in states with more restrictive driver-licensing laws have lower rates of heavy drinking and driving- under- the- influence of alcohol than those in states with less restrictive laws. This is the finding in a new report that analyses 1999, 2000 and 2001 data from National Household Surveys by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

While nationwide, one in ten drivers aged 15 to 17 reported driving under the influence of alcohol, the drinking and driving increased as the restrictiveness of graduated drivers license laws decreased. In the most restrictive states, 8.2 percent of 15-17 year old drivers reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year, while 11.5 percent of young drivers drove under the influence of alcohol in the least restrictive states.

The report, "Graduated Driver Licensing and Drinking among Young Drivers," released today by SAMHSA, shows that while six percent of young drivers nationally were heavy drinkers, young drivers in states with the most restrictive graduated licensing laws had lower rates (5.4 Percent) of heavy drinking than did young drivers in states with the least restrictive licensing provisions (7.0 percent).

"These data show us an association between teens who value their driving privileges and states' actions to restrict driving privileges," SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said. "We need to protect our young drivers by making it clear that drinking and driving is never acceptable, and that there is no safe level of alcohol for inexperienced drivers."

The report was developed from three years of SAMHSA's National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. The survey was modified in 2002 and is now called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The data reflects interviews with 75,000 youth aged 12-17. The report is available on line at www.drugabusestatistics.samhsa.gov

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

[SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the lead federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services in the United States.]