Citation

Sen A. Can. J. Econ. 2001; 34(1): 149-164.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Canadian Economics Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In this paper I attempt to assess empirically the effects of Canadian impaired driving legislation enacted between 1976 to 1992. On average, penalties for impaired driving have limited impact on impaired driver fatalities. Instead, trends in impaired driver deaths are significantly correlated with the enactment of mandatory seatbelt legislation across provinces. Specifically, the implementation of mandatory seatbelt laws for drivers is significantly associated with a 27 per cent drop in impaired driver fatality rates. These findings suggest that more lives might be saved by focusing on initiatives aimed at enhancing vehicle safety.