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America is a country that is far more spread out than our European counterparts with much better public transportation. Drunk driving is a serious problem in America, and even though it irked me that I couldn't legally drink when I was 18, I see now why it should be 21.
We need to not only keep it at 21, but we should also make the national legal BAC 0.04 (this is coming folks, mark my words) and make the penalties for DUI's much stiffer. Too many people are killed each year because of drunk driving, the numbers are astounding.
Also, if the legal age is 18, then you will see plenty of 16 year old drunks driving around. It's much more common for 16 year olds to be hanging out with 18 year olds than it is for 16 year olds to be hanging out with 21 year olds. When I was 18 and in high school I didn't hang out with too many people who were 21 and older, but as soon as I went off to college when I was 19 and was on the track team, most of my friends were 21 and over and could get me (and did get me) alcohol whenever I wanted it. I lived on campus, and even though I drank illegally, I'd rather see 19 year olds drinking illegally than 16 year olds.
Also, if the legal age is 18, then you will see plenty of 16 year old drunks driving around. It's much more common for 16 year olds to be hanging out with 18 year olds than it is for 16 year olds to be hanging out with 21 year olds. When I was 18 and in high school I didn't hang out with too many people who were 21 and older, but as soon as I went off to college when I was 19 and was on the track team, most of my friends were 21 and over and could get me (and did get me) alcohol whenever I wanted it. I lived on campus, and even though I drank illegally, I'd rather see 19 year olds drinking illegally than 16 year olds.
Then we should raise the driving age to 18. Few 16-year-olds are mature enough to be trusted with two tons of deadly metal, IMHO.
old enough to fight and die for your country at age 18, then you are also old enough to drink. if you complain about that, then just raise the age of people joining the military to 21.
When I was 18, the drinking age was 18. We had kids leaving our High School to go to the bar over lunch and coming back to school drunk. It wasn't a good thing.
Then they should be disciplined the same way an employer would discipline a worker if he or she came back from their lunch break intoxicated to work on the clock.
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That and the fact that American kids have to drive to go just about anywhere, so then you have young kids with zero judgment behind the wheel of cars drunk. I think it needs to stay where it is.
If they have zero judgment, they shouldn't be behind the wheel when sober.
In my opinion, it comes down to personal responsibility and good parenting (which judging by the recent rash of shootings and rapes committed by young adults really tells us a lot about our nation). I believe the drinking age should remain 21 (simply due to the fact that a majority of American youth lack maturity), but at the same time, maybe we should also look at redefining at what age someone becomes an "adult", as well as the other responsibilities and priveledges that come with that distinction.
Also, this should only apply to public or unsupervised drinking, and should be exempted for teens with parental supervision. Similar to how handgun ownership works. A minor (under age 18) cannot legally purchase, own, or possess a handgun. But they are allowed to shoot one with direct parental supervision. It should be the same for alcohol.
I had my first sip of wine on my 13th birthday at the dinner table. I did not die nor did I turn into a drunk.
I agree with this. Eighteen to legally buy alcohol or be permitted in a bar, but no age limit on parental supervision of alcohol consumption. Or raise the legal age to 21. These days most kids are under the wing of their parents at that age anyway.
The second is the whole issue of drunk driving. Quite rightly we have strict laws which punish such anti-social behavior. But one of the reasons that the age was raised back up to 21 was the problem of kids drinking and driving. However, I think that kids today have much more awareness of this issue and are probably more trustworthy than my generation was.
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Originally Posted by mb1547
When I was 18, the drinking age was 18. We had kids leaving our High School to go to the bar over lunch and coming back to school drunk. It wasn't a good thing. That and the fact that American kids have to drive to go just about anywhere, so then you have young kids with zero judgment behind the wheel of cars drunk. I think it needs to stay where it is.
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Originally Posted by jkrunner88
We need to not only keep it at 21, but we should also make the national legal BAC 0.04 (this is coming folks, mark my words) and make the penalties for DUI's much stiffer. Too many people are killed each year because of drunk driving, the numbers are astounding.
I voted for 21, and agree with the statements above.
I, too, was 18 when the drinking age in NY (where I attended college) was 18. There were a TON of problems with kids 18-20 (and sometimes younger) drinking to excess, and sometimes driving while drunk.
Since the minimum drinking age was raised nationally to 21, there have been plenty of statistics gathered and studies done that show that thousands of lives have been saved since that time.
Since 1988, the minimum legal drinking age has been 21 in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates drinking age laws save more than 900 lives a year in traffic fatalities alone.
The argument that if a person is old enough to fight - and die - for his or her country, they should be able to legally drink alcohol is a powerful argument, and I really want to agree with it, but I can't. I just don't believe that 18-year-olds - as a group - are mature enough to drink responsibly. And the statistics gathered over the last 3-4 decades (with a lower-than-21 drinking age as well as with the national minimum drinking age of 21) would appear to prove this point very clearly.
Then they should be disciplined the same way an employer would discipline a worker if he or she came back from their lunch break intoxicated to work on the clock.
If they have zero judgment, they shouldn't be behind the wheel when sober.
In my opinion, it comes down to personal responsibility and good parenting (which judging by the recent rash of shootings and rapes committed by young adults really tells us a lot about our nation). I believe the drinking age should remain 21 (simply due to the fact that a majority of American youth lack maturity), but at the same time, maybe we should also look at redefining at what age someone becomes an "adult", as well as the other responsibilities and priveledges that come with that distinction.
I think our schools need to start adopting the Japanese way of schooling as well. Kids have too much free time to get in trouble and whatnot. Make them so busy that they'll have to stay out of trouble
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Drinking Age Debate
