%0 Report
        %A Kamalow, Raffael
%A Siedler, Thomas
        %T The Effects of Stepwise Minimum Legal Drinking Age Legislation on Mortality: Evidence from Germany
        %D 2019
        %8 2019 Jun
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 12456
        %U https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp12456
        %X This study investigates the short-term mortality effects of two age-based restrictions on legal access to alcohol in Germany. We exploit sharp differences in legal access to alcohol at 16 and 18 years by implementing a regression discontinuity design. We find discontinuous increases in deaths at both age cutoffs, which are mainly driven by a "novice driver effect", whereas legal access to alcohol plays a marginal role at most. Overall, our results indicate that a stepwise introduction to alcohol has, at most, a minor impact on drunk driving and mortality at age 16 and 18 years. This study thus provides fresh impetus to the ongoing debate on the "optimal" MLDA legislation.
        %K mortality
%K motor vehicle fatalities
%K minimum legal drinking age
%K regression discontinuity design