We provide the first evaluation of the effect of the U.S. minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) on nonfatal injuries. Using administrative records from several states and a regression discontinuity approach, we document that inpatient hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) visits increase by 8.4 and 71.3 per 10,000 person-years, respectively, at age 21. These effects are due mainly to an increase in the rate at which young men experience accidental injuries, alcohol overdoses, and injuries inflicted by others. Our results suggest that the literature’s disproportionate focus on mortality leads to a significant underestimation of the benefits of tighter alcohol control.

中文翻译：

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美国的最低法定饮酒年龄和发病率

我们提供了美国最低法定饮酒年龄（MLDA）对非致命伤害的影响的首次评估。使用来自多个州的行政记录和回归不连续性方法，我们证明21岁时住院患者的住院人数和急诊就诊率每10,000人年分别增加8.4和71.3。这些影响主要是由于增加年轻人遭受意外伤害，酗酒和他人伤害的比率。我们的结果表明，文献对死亡率的过分关注导致严格控制酒精的益处被大大低估了。