Impacts of drinking-age legislation on alcohol-impaired driving crimes among young people in Canada, 2009-13

Russell C. Callaghan; Jodi M. Gatley; Marcos Sanches; Mark Asbridge; Tim Stockwell

doi:10.1111/add.13310

Impacts of drinking-age legislation on alcohol-impaired driving crimes among young people in Canada, 2009-13

Russell C. Callaghan, Jodi M. Gatley, Marcos Sanches, Mark Asbridge, Tim Stockwell

Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background and aim: In Canada, the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) is 18 years in Alberta, Manitoba and Québec and 19 in the rest of the country. Given that public health organizations have not only recommended increasing the MLDA to 19 years, but also have identified 21 years as ideal, the current study tested whether drivers slightly older than the MLDA had significant and abrupt increases in alcohol-impaired driving (AID) crimes, compared with their counterparts just younger than the MLDA. Design: Regression-discontinuity approach. Setting: Canada. Sample: AID criminal incidents by drivers aged 15-23 years (female, n = 10 706; male, n = 44 973). Measurements: Police-reported AID incidents from the Canadian 2009-13 Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. Findings: Significant gender × MLDA effects supported gender-specific models. Compared with males slightly younger than the MLDA, those just older had abrupt increases in AID incidents of 42.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 20.4-66.3%, P < 0.001], 28.1% (95% CI = 16.0-40.7%, P < 0.001) and 35.1% (95% CI = 22.4-48.4%, P < 0.001) in provinces with an MLDA of 18 years, 19 years and across the country, respectively. Among females, AID incidents increased by 39.9% (95% CI = 1.9-79.6%, P = 0.040) in provinces with an MLDA of 18 years, and by 19.4% (95% CI = 2.1-37.4%, P = 0.028) at the national level. Conclusion: Release from drinking-age restrictions appears to be associated with increases in alcohol-impaired driving offenses among young drivers in Canada, ranging from 28 to 43% among males and from 19 to 40% among females.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	994-1003
Number of pages	10
Journal	Addiction
Volume	111
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13310
Publication status	Published - Jun 1 2016

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Kathy Aucoin and Jacob Greenland at the Canadian Centre for Justice Studies (Statistics Canada) provided invaluable assistance during the data-request and data-acquisition phases of the project. Sara Dunn (Canadian Centre for Justice Studies, Statistics Canada) offered important insights into the workings of the UCR data collection and data processing system. Also, the current studywas funded by an Open Operating Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MOP-33699) awarded to the lead author (R.C.C.). The funding body had no role in the data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, preparation or submission of the manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

Medicine (miscellaneous)
Psychiatry and Mental health

PubMed: MeSH publication types

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1111/add.13310

Cite this

@article{e7c195e6a5064863b6f7e08dcc17b2b0,

title = "Impacts of drinking-age legislation on alcohol-impaired driving crimes among young people in Canada, 2009-13",

abstract = "Background and aim: In Canada, the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) is 18 years in Alberta, Manitoba and Qu{\'e}bec and 19 in the rest of the country. Given that public health organizations have not only recommended increasing the MLDA to 19 years, but also have identified 21 years as ideal, the current study tested whether drivers slightly older than the MLDA had significant and abrupt increases in alcohol-impaired driving (AID) crimes, compared with their counterparts just younger than the MLDA. Design: Regression-discontinuity approach. Setting: Canada. Sample: AID criminal incidents by drivers aged 15-23 years (female, n = 10 706; male, n = 44 973). Measurements: Police-reported AID incidents from the Canadian 2009-13 Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. Findings: Significant gender × MLDA effects supported gender-specific models. Compared with males slightly younger than the MLDA, those just older had abrupt increases in AID incidents of 42.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 20.4-66.3%, P < 0.001], 28.1% (95% CI = 16.0-40.7%, P < 0.001) and 35.1% (95% CI = 22.4-48.4%, P < 0.001) in provinces with an MLDA of 18 years, 19 years and across the country, respectively. Among females, AID incidents increased by 39.9% (95% CI = 1.9-79.6%, P = 0.040) in provinces with an MLDA of 18 years, and by 19.4% (95% CI = 2.1-37.4%, P = 0.028) at the national level. Conclusion: Release from drinking-age restrictions appears to be associated with increases in alcohol-impaired driving offenses among young drivers in Canada, ranging from 28 to 43% among males and from 19 to 40% among females.",

author = "Callaghan, {Russell C.} and Gatley, {Jodi M.} and Marcos Sanches and Mark Asbridge and Tim Stockwell",

note = "Funding Information: Kathy Aucoin and Jacob Greenland at the Canadian Centre for Justice Studies (Statistics Canada) provided invaluable assistance during the data-request and data-acquisition phases of the project. Sara Dunn (Canadian Centre for Justice Studies, Statistics Canada) offered important insights into the workings of the UCR data collection and data processing system. Also, the current studywas funded by an Open Operating Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MOP-33699) awarded to the lead author (R.C.C.). The funding body had no role in the data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, preparation or submission of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.",

year = "2016",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1111/add.13310",

language = "English",

volume = "111",

pages = "994--1003",

journal = "Addiction",

issn = "0965-2140",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

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T1 - Impacts of drinking-age legislation on alcohol-impaired driving crimes among young people in Canada, 2009-13

AU - Callaghan, Russell C.

AU - Gatley, Jodi M.

AU - Sanches, Marcos

AU - Asbridge, Mark

AU - Stockwell, Tim

N1 - Funding Information: Kathy Aucoin and Jacob Greenland at the Canadian Centre for Justice Studies (Statistics Canada) provided invaluable assistance during the data-request and data-acquisition phases of the project. Sara Dunn (Canadian Centre for Justice Studies, Statistics Canada) offered important insights into the workings of the UCR data collection and data processing system. Also, the current studywas funded by an Open Operating Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MOP-33699) awarded to the lead author (R.C.C.). The funding body had no role in the data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, preparation or submission of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

PY - 2016/6/1

Y1 - 2016/6/1

N2 - Background and aim: In Canada, the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) is 18 years in Alberta, Manitoba and Québec and 19 in the rest of the country. Given that public health organizations have not only recommended increasing the MLDA to 19 years, but also have identified 21 years as ideal, the current study tested whether drivers slightly older than the MLDA had significant and abrupt increases in alcohol-impaired driving (AID) crimes, compared with their counterparts just younger than the MLDA. Design: Regression-discontinuity approach. Setting: Canada. Sample: AID criminal incidents by drivers aged 15-23 years (female, n = 10 706; male, n = 44 973). Measurements: Police-reported AID incidents from the Canadian 2009-13 Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. Findings: Significant gender × MLDA effects supported gender-specific models. Compared with males slightly younger than the MLDA, those just older had abrupt increases in AID incidents of 42.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 20.4-66.3%, P < 0.001], 28.1% (95% CI = 16.0-40.7%, P < 0.001) and 35.1% (95% CI = 22.4-48.4%, P < 0.001) in provinces with an MLDA of 18 years, 19 years and across the country, respectively. Among females, AID incidents increased by 39.9% (95% CI = 1.9-79.6%, P = 0.040) in provinces with an MLDA of 18 years, and by 19.4% (95% CI = 2.1-37.4%, P = 0.028) at the national level. Conclusion: Release from drinking-age restrictions appears to be associated with increases in alcohol-impaired driving offenses among young drivers in Canada, ranging from 28 to 43% among males and from 19 to 40% among females.

AB - Background and aim: In Canada, the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) is 18 years in Alberta, Manitoba and Québec and 19 in the rest of the country. Given that public health organizations have not only recommended increasing the MLDA to 19 years, but also have identified 21 years as ideal, the current study tested whether drivers slightly older than the MLDA had significant and abrupt increases in alcohol-impaired driving (AID) crimes, compared with their counterparts just younger than the MLDA. Design: Regression-discontinuity approach. Setting: Canada. Sample: AID criminal incidents by drivers aged 15-23 years (female, n = 10 706; male, n = 44 973). Measurements: Police-reported AID incidents from the Canadian 2009-13 Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. Findings: Significant gender × MLDA effects supported gender-specific models. Compared with males slightly younger than the MLDA, those just older had abrupt increases in AID incidents of 42.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 20.4-66.3%, P < 0.001], 28.1% (95% CI = 16.0-40.7%, P < 0.001) and 35.1% (95% CI = 22.4-48.4%, P < 0.001) in provinces with an MLDA of 18 years, 19 years and across the country, respectively. Among females, AID incidents increased by 39.9% (95% CI = 1.9-79.6%, P = 0.040) in provinces with an MLDA of 18 years, and by 19.4% (95% CI = 2.1-37.4%, P = 0.028) at the national level. Conclusion: Release from drinking-age restrictions appears to be associated with increases in alcohol-impaired driving offenses among young drivers in Canada, ranging from 28 to 43% among males and from 19 to 40% among females.

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Impacts of drinking-age legislation on alcohol-impaired driving crimes among young people in Canada, 2009-13

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

PubMed: MeSH publication types

UN SDGs

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