Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15501
Authors: Jose Maria Cabrera; Felipe Carozzi; Alejandro Cid; Magdalena Blanco
Abstract: We study the impact of mandatory motorcycle helmet use laws on the severity and volume of road accidents in Uruguay by exploiting a change in the enforcement of the traffic law. Using event-study, differences-in-difference and synthetic control methods, we report a sharp increase in helmet use and a 40 percent reduction in the incidence of serious or fatal motorcyclist accidents as a result of the change in enforcement. The change translates into an increase in minor injuries, indicating a shift in the distribution of accident severity. We find no evidence of other behavioral responses in terms of either the volume or type of accidents. We show that additional costs of enforcement for the relevant government agencies were negligible and estimate the health benefits of the policy.
Keywords: helmet use; law enforcement; traffic accidents
JEL Codes: I12; I18; R41; H89
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| enforcement of helmet laws (R48) | helmet usage (R48) |
| helmet usage (R48) | serious or fatal motorcycle accidents (R48) |
| enforcement of helmet laws (R48) | serious injuries (J28) |
| enforcement of helmet laws (R48) | minor injuries (K13) |
| enforcement of helmet laws (R48) | accident volume or type (R41) |