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The drinking age should not be lowered to 18. Lowering the drinking age from 21 years old to 18 years old could lead to an increase in dangerous behavior such as drunken driving and car accidents, risk of developing alcoholism and people under the age of 21 do not fully understand the dangers of alcohol. A teenage driver and alcohol is a dangerous combination. Drinking and driving accidents are the number one cause of death among teenagers. “Traffic deaths from drunken driving have fallen steadily, with those involving teenagers 16 to 19 declining by 39.1 percent from 1982 to 1990, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)”.
Why? Is the main question asked? Many Americans believe the underage drinking age percentage would drop if the age is lowered. Some reasons of why Americans under 21 drink: peer pressure, enjoyment, etc. But the main reason for doing so is “breaking the law.” 87% of high school seniors have used alcohol.
Before the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 was passed, 16-17 was the average age for someone to drink alcohol. All credible study’s show that consuming a responsible amount of alcohol at age 18 would not cause physiological nor physical damage to the body. California voters should vote to lower the drinking age to 18 to give every 18-year-old consistent
Most college students enjoy drinking, which caused the issue on alcohol to become the most frequently talked about in public as at least half the students are still underage to drink. The issue of the minimum drinking age affects everyone from teenagers to adults and the government. The issue is widely known about but not accepted or debated by many openly. All the laws on accessibility of alcohol concern safety; the main issue is when the government feels that citizens are of a responsible age to drink. The discussion concerning the minimum drinking age divides people into three opinions: those who want to keep the minimum age at 21, those who want to lower the age and others who want to raise the age or prohibit alcohol in general.
Alcohol can put this sort of development to a stop, which puts the young adult at a much higher risk for addiction, depression, violence, and increases the chances of suicide. Having the drinking age set at 21 lowers the overall amount of alcohol consumption. There was a study back in 2002 to prove this. The results showed an 87% decrease in alcohol consumption with a higher legal drinking age. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) did some research in 2009 and found that nighttime drivers’ percentage on the weekend with a BAC of .08 had dropped from 5.4% back in 1986 when there was a lower drinking age, to 2.2 %.
Drinking alcohol is trended to a younger age. 18 years is not old enough to drink alcohol. Scientific experiments show that alcohol can make people exhilarated. Many college students drink alcohol younger than 21 years old. Some people have debated the legal drink age should change to younger than 18 years old.
Changing Legal Drinking Age How many times have you heard of underage drinking? By the age of 18 in the U.S, you are considered an adult. If we are considered “adults,” we should be able to drink and purchase alcohol. I believe that the limit for consuming and purchasing alcohol should be lowered to 18 years of age. Many things could benefit from this change.
Miron, Jeffery A. "The Budgetary Implications of Drug Prohibition." Harvard.edu. 2008. Web.