Objective: This study investigated the effect of keg registration laws on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the United States.
Method: The 1993-2013 data from Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (n = 107,480) and Fatality Analysis Reporting System (n = 12,102) and difference-in-differences type models were used to estimate the effect of keg registration laws on different indicators of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related traffic fatalities among underage youth.
Results: Introduction of keg registration laws was associated with a 2.3 percentage point reduction (p < .01) in heavy episodic drinking among minors. The significant effects of these laws were mainly driven by the states with relatively strict keg registration laws. However, these laws did not have a significant impact on alcohol-related traffic fatalities among underage youth. These results were robust under alternative model specifications.
Conclusions: We found that keg registration laws are effective in reducing heavy episodic drinking among underage youth. This result is important given that an increasing number of states have adopted keg registration laws in recent years, yet the empirical evidence of the effectiveness of this policy is quite limited.