It is true that increasing happy hours can increase impaired driving crashes and fatalities. Yes, studies consistently indicate that there is a positive association between happy hour specials (drink specials) and increased alcohol consumption, heavy drinking, alcohol intoxication, and reports of driving under the influence (DUI).

Key findings from research include:

Increased Consumption: Drink specials encourage patrons to consume more alcohol than they typically would in a short amount of time.

Higher BAC: Patrons who take advantage of drink specials are significantly more likely to exit an establishment with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above the legal limit of 0.08%.

Higher Crash Rates: States that have banned happy hours have been found to have a lower rate of alcohol-impaired-driving crashes compared to states that allow them.

Increased Risk of DUI Reports: In survey studies, students who reported altering their drinking due to happy hour specials were more likely to report driving under the influence (odds ratio of 1.88).

While some individual studies of specific laws have shown mixed findings, the majority of public health research suggests that policies which reduce the price of alcohol lead to increased alcohol-related harm, including drunk driving incidents.