D Silver1, J Macinko, J Y Bae, G Jimenez, M Paul. 1. Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: diana.silver@nyu.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of variation in state laws governing traffic safety on motor vehicle fatalities. STUDY DESIGN: Repeated cross sectional time series design. METHODS: Fixed effects regression models estimate the relationship between state motor vehicle fatality rates and the strength of the state law environment for 50 states, 1980-2010. The strength of the state policy environment is measured by calculating the proportion of a set of 27 evidence-based laws in place each year. The effect of alcohol consumption on motor vehicle fatalities is estimated using a subset of alcohol laws as instrumental variables. RESULTS: Once other risk factors are controlled in statistical models, states with stronger regulation of safer driving and driver/passenger protections had significantly lower motor vehicle fatality rates for all ages. Alcohol consumption was strongly associated with higher MVC death rates, as were state unemployment rates. CONCLUSIONS: Encouraging laggard states to adopt the full range of available laws could significantly reduce preventable traffic-related deaths in the U.S. - especially those among younger individuals. Estimating the relationship between different policy environments and health outcomes can quantify the result of policy gaps.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of variation in state laws governing traffic safety on motor vehicle fatalities. STUDY DESIGN: Repeated cross sectional time series design. METHODS: Fixed effects regression models estimate the relationship between state motor vehicle fatality rates and the strength of the state law environment for 50 states, 1980-2010. The strength of the state policy environment is measured by calculating the proportion of a set of 27 evidence-based laws in place each year. The effect of alcohol consumption on motor vehicle fatalities is estimated using a subset of alcohol laws as instrumental variables. RESULTS: Once other risk factors are controlled in statistical models, states with stronger regulation of safer driving and driver/passenger protections had significantly lower motor vehicle fatality rates for all ages. Alcohol consumption was strongly associated with higher MVC death rates, as were state unemployment rates. CONCLUSIONS: Encouraging laggard states to adopt the full range of available laws could significantly reduce preventable traffic-related deaths in the U.S. - especially those among younger individuals. Estimating the relationship between different policy environments and health outcomes can quantify the result of policy gaps.
Authors: H D Holder; P J Gruenewald; W R Ponicki; A J Treno; J W Grube; R F Saltz; R B Voas; R Reynolds; J Davis; L Sanchez; G Gaumont; P Roeper Journal: JAMA Date: 2000-11-08 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: James C Fell; Deborah A Fisher; Robert B Voas; Kenneth Blackman; A Scott Tippetts Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2009-04-09 Impact factor: 3.455