Working Paper: NBER ID: w27933
Authors: Jason U. Huh; Julian Reif
Abstract: We investigate the effect of teenage driving on mortality and risky behaviors in the United States using a regression discontinuity design. We estimate that motor vehicle fatalities rise by 40% at the minimum legal driving age cutoff, implying a mortality risk per additional mile driven 6-9 times higher than the risk faced by adult drivers. We also find a stark 80% increase in female deaths from drug overdoses and carbon monoxide poisoning at the cutoff, caused by changes in both suicides and accidental deaths. Our analysis suggests driving regulations could be an effective tool to improve teenage health.
Keywords: teenage driving; mortality; risky behaviors
JEL Codes: H75; I1; R4
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Minimum legal driving age cutoff (R48) | Motor vehicle fatalities (R48) |
| Minimum legal driving age cutoff (R48) | Teenage mortality (I12) |
| Minimum legal driving age cutoff (R48) | Female deaths from drug overdoses and carbon monoxide poisoning (I12) |
| Minimum legal driving age cutoff (R48) | Teenage poisoning deaths (I12) |
| Minimum legal driving age cutoff (R48) | Female drug overdose deaths (J16) |
| Minimum legal driving age cutoff (R48) | Carbon monoxide poisoning deaths (I12) |
| Minimum legal driving age cutoff (R48) | Substitution away from other methods of suicide (I12) |
| Raising minimum legal driving age by one year (R48) | Lives saved annually (J17) |
| Raising minimum legal driving age by one year (R48) | Value of lives saved (J17) |