The impact of the smoke free law on the number of car crashes related with alcohol consumption

Abstract

I study the effects of the changes on the tobacco control laws in the United States on the number of car crashes related with alcohol consumption. Understanding how these law changes affected the number of fatalities involving an alcohol-impaired driver can shed light on the link between alcohol and tobacco .I explore the timing of adoption in different states in a difference-in-differences framework to identify the results. I observe a significant decrease in alcohol related accidents two years after anti-tobacco policies, however this reduction seems not be associated with the smoke free laws in bars and restaurants because I also observe the same consequence in the number of car crashes not related with alcohol consumption. Thus, there is a reduction on the overall total car crashes after the application of the smoke free laws but it is not an unintended consequence due to the relationship between drinking and smoking.