Underage drivers are separating drinking from driving.
OBJECTIVES: From 1985 to 1995, drivers younger than 21 years experienced a 50% drop in fatal crashes involving alcohol. This study addresses whether the decrease is explained by young drivers' drinking less or by their separating drinking from driving. METHODS: Nighttime roadside surveys were conducted in 3 communities to test drivers' breath and administer questionnaires on drinking practices. From 1992 to 1996, 34,898 drivers (21% of whom were younger than 21 years) were interviewed. RESULTS: Although drivers younger than 21 years were more likely to have consumed 6 or more drinks on at least 1 occasion during the previous month, a smaller percentage of younger drivers than of older drivers had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.01 or higher. CONCLUSIONS: Younger drivers are more likely than drivers older than 21 years to separate drinking from driving.