New research suggests that strict alcohol policies can reduce cases of drunk driving.

Researchers at Boston University and the University of Minnesota found that states with more restrictive alcohol policies and regulations have lower rates of self-reported drunk driving.

"Our findings support the importance of comprehensive alcohol policies as an effective means to reduce alcohol-impaired driving, and further indicate that strengthening drinking-oriented policies (e.g., increasing alcohol taxes) is a critical component of an overall policy approach," researchers said in the study.

For the study, researchers assigned each state an "alcohol policy score," based on an aggregate of 29 alcohol policies, such as alcohol taxation and the use of sobriety checkpoints. Their analysis found that each 1 percentage point increase in the score was associated with a 1 percent decrease in the likelihood of impaired driving.

"A 10 percent increase in strength among state alcohol policy environments in all states would result in about 404,903 fewer impaired drivers monthly," the researchers reported.

Nationally, the proportion of motor vehicle crashes that have been alcohol related has remained stagnant at around 33 percent throughout the past two decades.

"It is clear that in order for states to comprehensively address drunk driving as a public health issue, more effective policies need to be put into place to address excessive alcohol consumption," Ziming Xuan, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of community health sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, said in a statement.

They also found that laws intended to reduce binge drinking -- such as high alcohol taxes, safe serving laws, and retail sales restrictions -- were as effective as laws specifically targeting impaired driving, such as sobriety checkpoints, in reducing drunk driving.

"Basically, our study supports two parallel mechanisms involved in addressing drunk driving: Drinking policies reduce the likelihood of getting drunk, and driving policies prevent drunk folks from getting behind the wheel," Xuan said.

The findings are detailed in the International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research.