Why the Drinking Age Should be Lowered to 18

The drinking age for Americans should be lowered from the current age of 21 to 18. Young adults in this country should have the right to purchase and consume alcohol if they so choose. However, since President Reagan signed into law The National Drinking Age Minimum in 1987, adults 18 - 20 have not had that choice; at least, not legally.

Advocates of this law would argue that is has been effective at curbing underage drinking. They claim that it has been responsible for saving countless lives by reducing the number of fatalities due to teenage drinking and driving and that public opinion should not dictate our laws. Yet upon closer examination, these claims are not entirely true.

A recent survey of the top 100 universities in America, found that an overwhelming majority of incoming freshman had engaged in an irresponsible manner of consumption of alcohol. Professor En, a leading sociologist from the University of Indiana, labels this type of behavior as “the badge against authority.” These young adults are rebelling the same way our nation rebelled against Prohibition in the ’20s.

The same university survey also found that 34 percent of all students under the age of 21 are binge drinkers or heavy drinkers- meaning they consume five or more drinks on a weekly basis- as compared to only 18 percent of students over the age of 21. The social backlash of this law has been an increase of binge drinking and heavy drinking amongst the very age group this law is meant to affect.

However, the argument that there would be a reduction in drunken driving deaths amongst this targeted demographic is true. This fact is also true that drunken driving fatalities are down across all demographics, not just 18-21 year olds. The fact is this trend started years prior to the invocation of the law. New technology in cars which included air bags, automatic braking systems and higher impact resistant materials allowed for the number of people who died from car accidents to decrease.

This, according to the National Transportation and Safety Association, helps to explain the lower mortality rates not only in drunken driving incidents but also in non-alcohol related accidents. Seat belt laws, public education on the hazards associated with drinking and driving, designated driver awareness as well as free taxi services for those who are impaired are also major contributors to this lower rate.

In the almost 30 years since the law was passed, this country has seen the rise in the number of alcohol-related deaths “off road” within the age group of 18-20.

According to a recent Huffington Post article, more than three out of five alcohol-related deaths of underage drinkers did not involve an automobile at all. These young adults’ deaths are the product of a law that was intended to provide the exact opposite for them.

Public opinion or, in this law’s case, a special interest group’s opinion was the catalyst that pushed this bill into law. Mothers Against Drunk Driving was the driving force behind this law. While it is a great organization, they are a lobbyist group set on influencing public policy.

By lowering the drinking age to 18 we are encouraging our young adults to engage in a safer more controlled approach to alcohol. While in the confines of restaurants, bars or other establishments that serve alcohol they are able to make moderate choices instead of the all out approach that we see today.

If we trust them to vote, sign a contract or pay the ultimate sacrifice for us via joining the military, we should trust them to make the same responsible choice when it comes to alcohol.