What can be done to further reduce teenage drinking and driving?
In 1990-91, Institute researchers found 19-20 year-olds could easily buy a six-pack of beer in Washington, D.C. and a New York City suburb. But in two New York counties where police had recently cracked down on underage alcohol purchases, youths were less successful. In these studies, the underage purchasers were generally not even asked by sellers for proof of their age. In 1994 and 1995, Institute researchers surveyed high school and college students younger than age 21 in New York and Pennsylvania about alcohol use and purchase. Fifty-nine percent of college students and 28 percent of high school students in New York and 37 percent of college students and 14 percent of high school students in Pennsylvania reported they had used false identification to obtain alcohol. Many communities are stepping up enforcement of alcohol purchasing age laws — clearly this is needed to make them more effective. Are the BAC thresholds for illegal driving per se lower for teenagers than for older dri
