Do border crossings contribute to underage motor‐vehicle fatalities? An analysis of Michigan border crossings

Abstract

Abstract. Currently, Michigan residents can avoid the national drinking age of 21 by crossing into Ontario, where the drinking age is 19. This paper explores the impact that border crossings, connecting areas with different minimum legal drinking ages (MLDA), have on motor‐vehicle fatalities. We analyse border crossings connecting Michigan to Ontario as well as to its surrounding states in the period in which Michigan's MLDA was raised to 21. Using a ‘differences‐in‐differences‐in‐differences’ approach, we find that the MLDA change did not contribute to increased underage fatalities in border‐crossing counties.