Do High Gas Prices Save Teen Lives?

I have written in the past about how gas prices may affect motorcycle use and also overall deaths, but what is interesting is that it may also help reduce teen DUI's.

The Los Angeles Times recently cited a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which found that:

The number of high school students who say they've gotten behind the wheel while drunk is down 54% from two decades ago, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, about 10.3% of teen drivers said they drove while intoxicated, down from 22.3% in 1991.

A primary reason is simply that teenagers spent less time on the road.

"Teens are especially sensitive to increases in gasoline prices and declines in economic conditions, which might have decreased their miles driven since 2007," the report said.

At this time, the national average of $3.78 per gallon is the most expensive ever for any October.

These kinds of findings always make you wonder whether cheap gas is always that good.