Higher the drinking age, the lower the auto deaths

States that recently raised their legal minimum drinking age show a substantial reduction in fatal nighttime crashes by young drivers, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says. In 14 states that have raised their drinking age since 1976, the institute said, researchers estimated that about 380 fewer young drivers are now involved each year in fatal nighttime wrecks. A study of nine of the states showed the rate of fatal nighttime wrecks fell between 6 and 75 percent in eight of them. The researchers said a state raising its drinking age can expect involvement in nighttime fatal crashes to drop about 28 percent among the age groups to which the change in the law applies.