Alcohol-related accidents in 2015 consisted of 29% of total traffic fatalities in the United States (NHTSA 2015). Meanwhile, the craft brewing industry has been on the rise in the past decade, especially in the state of Colorado. An increase in alcohol availability is most commonly associated with an increase in DUIs. However, this study hypothesizes that there will be a negative correlation between the opening of craft breweries and the rate of DUI arrests in Colorado. Panel data were collected for the 64 counties in Colorado from 2009-2014 on the rate of DUI arrests, gathered from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, and on the amount of craft breweries opening, gathered from the national Brewer’s Association. Demographic and economic variables were included to provide controls and more realistic results. Fixed effects regression techniques were used to control for unobserved potential heterogeneity between counties. After econometric analysis of the panel data set, an increase in craft breweries opening is not significantly associated with DUI rates in Colorado.
The author has given permission for this work to be deposited in the Digital Archive of Colorado College.
Colorado College Honor Code upheld.
Includes bibliographical references.
The author has given permission for this work to be deposited in the Digital Archive of Colorado College.
Colorado College Honor Code upheld.
