Task Force Finds That Holding Alcohol Retailers Liable Can Reduce Deaths and Injuries
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September 16, 2011
The Task Force on Community Preventive Services, an independent, volunteer body of public health and prevention experts, conducted a review of studies that looked at state laws on commercial host or dram shop liability. A dram shop is a retail establishment that sells alcohol. These laws hold any retail establishment that sells alcohol liable for injuries or harm caused by intoxicated or underage customers.
The task force found these liability laws encouraged more responsible beverage serving because they give managers and servers an incentive to manage their service to underage and intoxicated customers more closely. In areas with dram shop liability laws, there was a median reduction of 6.4 percent in alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths, compared with areas without such a law. The findings are scheduled to be published in the September issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.