Citation

Lacey JH, Stewart JR, Carroll CL. Proc. Int. Counc. Alcohol Drugs Traffic Safety Conf. 1981; 1981: 1382-1388.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, The author(s) and the Council, Publisher International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In late 1978 North Carolina adopted a local option liquor by the drink (lbd) statute whereby localities may hold referenda to determine whether restaurants may serve liquor by the drink. Prior to that time there was no legal sale of distilled spirits other than in government owned liquor stores. Some jurisdictions did previously allow the consumption of distilled spirits in restaurants through the practice of brown bagging. Brown bagging involves the customer bringing his own liquor to the restaurant and pouring his own drinks. North Carolina, with 100 counties and several cities which may separately initiate a referendum to decide whether to adopt lbd, provides a unique natural experiment to examine the traffic safety implications of this law change. Time series and other analytical techniques utilizing experimental (lbd) and control (non-lbd) counties are used to examine trends in both driving under the influence arrests and alcohol related crashes in late 1978 and 1979. (Author/TRRL)