Depowering Risk: Vehicle Power Restrictions and Teens’ Driving Accidents in Italy

Silvia Balia, Rinaldo Brau () and Marco Nieddu ()

Journal of Law and Economics, 2023, vol. 66, issue 4, 765 - 795

Abstract: This paper investigates the road safety impact of a restriction in engine power on novice drivers. The restriction, introduced in Italy in 2011, prevents drivers from using high-performance vehicles during the first year they have their license. To estimate the effect on teens’ traffic accidents, we leverage the between-cohorts difference in exposure to the reform. When prevented from using high-powered cars, teens are 13 percent less likely to cause an accident and 28 percent less likely to cause a fatal accident, mainly because of fewer speeding violations. This effect persists even after the 1-year restriction ends. These findings highlight the importance of targeted policies—directed at those generating the greatest harm—that limit exposure to specific high-risk settings. These policies stand out as an effective yet feasible alternative to deterrence-based strategies and screening mechanisms, which are often difficult to enforce and sustain.

Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/725936 (application/pdf)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/725936 (text/html)
Access to the online full text or PDF requires a subscription.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ucp:jlawec:doi:10.1086/725936

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Law and Economics from University of Chicago Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Journals Division ().