Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The drinking age in America should not be lowered
There are many reasons why the legal drinking age should remain at 21 years of age, the first being a matter of public safety. Lowering the drinking age would contribute to more car accidents. There are already 11 accidents a day due to alcohol consumption, and that’s without increasing the number of drinkers. This is because alcohol consumption decreases motor responses, and it's more pronounced in young drinkers with low tolerance. Second, alcohol severely damages the developing brain, which does not finish maturing until 21. How can we expect our high school students to perform academically if they start abusing alcohol and damaging their brains at 18? The final reason is due to the increase in personal insurance premiums that could arise from more people on the road able to drink. The average insurance premiums increase from approximately sixty to two hundred dollars per month, dependent on male/ female driver. Imagine the price increase for something as important as the level of alcohol usage among the general population, especially for parents that have dependents that are able to consume alcohol legally at 18. These are just a few reasons why the drinking limit should not be lowered to age 18.
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Although I agree with you it doesn't change the fact that underage drinking will never go away. Legal age does not change the fact that someone will still drink and drive when they shouldn't. I'm honestly suprised that premiums aren't higher with the number of adults that continue to drink/drive/crash..etc.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I feel that someone under the age of 21 should be allowed to drink is if they are in the military.
Great post guys!
These are good arguments for not lowering the drinking age. The biggest reason I think is the insurance premiums. The death toll from drinking and driving dose not seem as important to the government as this. Then you last argument about the parents insurance premium is a good tie up for you argument. The three reasons you gave are the most common arguments.
ReplyDeleteI think your information is interesting, but where does it come from? Also, why no references to the Chp. 11 readings here? Just curious...
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