NASHVILLE (AP) - Proponents of allowing wine to be sold in Tennessee supermarkets and convenience stores are touting a new study that they say suggests that the change would not be linked to increased crime or traffic fatalities.

The study published in the journal Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy finds that if the total amount of alcohol consumed remains constant, a higher share of wine consumption would result in fewer traffic deaths. The opposite is the case for beer, according to the authors from Cornell and Colorado State universities.

Lawmakers this year advanced a wine-in-supermarkets bill further than ever before, but the measure ultimately failed. Under current state law, supermarkets can sell no alcohol stronger than beer, and wine sales are limited to liquor stores.