Evaluation of Use and Lose Laws

Ulmer, Robert G.; Shabanova, V. I.; Preusser, David F. · 2001 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This study evaluates the highway safety effects of "Use and Lose" laws, which mandate driver license suspension or denial for individuals convicted of alcohol or drug offenses. While these laws were primarily enacted to deter substance abuse among youth, the researchers aimed to determine if the associated license withdrawals also reduce subsequent motor vehicle crashes and traffic violations. The study utilized data from Missouri and Pennsylvania, leveraging inconsistent enforcement of these laws to create a natural experiment comparing the driving records of young offenders who received license suspensions against those who did not. The methodology involved analyzing driver records for individuals under age 21 arrested between 1995 and 1997. In Missouri, data from 4,267 cases were analyzed, though crash data were unavailable. In Pennsylvania, 5,690 cases were analyzed, including both violation and crash records. The researchers employed logistic regression and survival analysis (Cox proportional hazards models) to assess the likelihood of subsequent traffic events. The study focused on whether license actions served as an effective control measure for this high-risk demographic, who often had prior violations or crashes. Results from Missouri indicated that license suspensions were rarely applied for non-DWI possession charges (14–16% of cases), limiting statistical power. While suspended drivers showed fewer subsequent violations, the differences were not statistically significant within specific charge groups. Pennsylvania data yielded more robust findings. Drivers who received license suspensions for Use and Lose charges were significantly less likely to have subsequent traffic convictions (adjusted odds ratio of 0.61) and crash involvements (adjusted odds ratio of 0.64) compared to those not suspended. Drivers suspended for DWI-related charges showed even lower risks for subsequent violations (OR 0.52). Hazard ratios further confirmed that suspended drivers had reduced risks of first subsequent violations (0.75) and crashes (0.66) over time. Male drivers and younger drivers generally exhibited higher risks of subsequent violations. The study concludes that license suspension is an effective driver control measure for young persons arrested for alcohol and drug offenses. Although the research did not assess the deterrent effect of the laws on substance abuse itself, the findings demonstrate that withdrawing driving privileges significantly reduces subsequent traffic violations and crashes among this high-risk group. The authors recommend applying license suspensions to youthful drivers convicted of such offenses to improve highway safety.

Key finding

Young drivers suspended for alcohol or drug violations had an adjusted odds ratio of 0.61 for subsequent traffic convictions and 0.64 for subsequent crashes compared to similarly charged drivers who were not suspended.

Methodology

dataset

Sample size: 9957

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• licensing policy
• dui enforcement
• driver education effectiveness

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: policy recommendations
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence