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Changing the drinking age in america
Impact of drinking and driving
Effects of drunk driving
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Teen Driving and Drinking Every teen waits with anticipation for their sixteenth birthday. They have so much to celebrate. A birthday for starters, a ‘new’ car, new places to go, no more relying on parents and a new lease on life. But with this new lease on life comes more dangers, car accidents and underage drinking. Anna Quindlen talks about raising the driving age to prevent these dangers, while Brandon Griggs says to lower the drinking age to take away the excitement of drinking and to prevent binge drinking on college campuses. Raising the driving age will diminish quality of life for teens, and lowering the drinking age will lessen the excitement of alcohol to maintain quality of life. To most Americans, sixteen is a right of passage
to drive, as twenty-one is to drink. Driving creates a new part of life for teens. It creates more independence for them and their parents. Teens can now drive themselves to the “soccer field, Mickey D’s, mall, (or) movies. (Quindlen 503)” Mom and Dad have more freedom now too; instead of chauffeuring their child to school, or a friends’ house, they have more time for their friends, errands, or time alone. With all this change comes more responsibility for the teen and more worry for the parents. Teens have restrictions on how many people can be in the car and curfews for the first six months. These are the rules that come to mind first. A rule that does not seem to come to mind as much, is drinking and driving. This rule lasts more than six months; it lasts a life time but its not taken as seriously with our kids as it is adults. Parents don’t really warn them about it. College is an especially dangerous time for this, “administrators describe a forbidden-fruit climate that encourages binge drinking. (Quindlen 503)” If teens don’t start drinking in high school at parties, they most likely will in college because everything is a new experience and there is no one to answer to, no consequences. If the excitement of alcohol was lessened by teaching teens to handle alcohol responsibly, there might be less of these consequences. According to Brandon Griggs article, “proponents of the higher drinking age says it reduces traffic fatalities and alcohol – related accidents while keeping booze out of the hands of teens, whose brains are still developing. (Griggs 1)” In high school a person can get their hands on illegal substances very easily. A higher drinking age does not eradicate teen drinking and accidents caused by drinking. In fact, “a University of Indiana study of students at 56 colleges found that in the immediate aftermath of 21 becoming the national drinking age, significantly more underage students drank compared to those of legal age. (Griggs 2)” Nothing will eradicate teen drinking or the accidents that come along with it but there are things to prevent it. If the drinking age was not changed, underage drinking would not be such a big issue. If the drinking age were lowered, drinking would no longer have to be done in secret, which is more dangerous. There are enough previsions to test if a sixteen-year-old is ready to drive or not. Teens should be educated about alcohol not just told not to drink it. Raising the driving age will take away the freedom, coming of age teens look forward to and will not prevent accidents or underage drinking. Accidents happen, underage drinking happens, there is no way to stop it all together. Teens lives should not be diminished out of fear. Work Cited CNN Griggs, Brandon. "Should the U.S. lower its drinking age?" America's News 14 July 2014. Quindlen, Anna. "Driving to a Funeral." Nadell, Judith and John Langan. The Longman Reader. 11th Edition. Pearson Education , 2010. 503.
According to Center for Disease Control and Protection, about 4,700 people under age twenty one die from injuries involving underage drinking every year. Illegal alcohol consumption has been a major problem with high school students around the nation. Lowering the drinking age from twenty one would result in major consequences for America’s adolescents. By lowering the drinking age, alcohol would be more accessible to those who choose to participate in underage drinking. The desire to drink for teens and young adults between the ages of fourteen and twenty can be caused by peer pressure or an act of rebellion. One beer might not seem like a big deal at the time, but it could lead to a life of addiction and alcoholism.
Each year, about 5,000 teens are killed or injured in traffic crashes as a result of underage drinking and about 1,900 are due to car accidents. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation) In the newsletter, safety in numbers by National highway traffic administration and U.S department of transportation “Of all the people who died in motor vehicle crashes during 2012, 31 percent died in crashes involving a drunk driver, and this percentage remains unchanged for the past 10 years” (Vol 1, 2013). Crashes involving alcohol include fatal crashes in which a driver had a BAC of .01 g/ ld. or higher (Underage Drinking Statistics)). Deadly crashes involving alcohol are twice as common in teens compared to people 21 and older. This is because teens’ judgment skills are harmed more by alcohol. Teens who drink not only risk hurting themselves, they risk hurting their friends, family, and even strangers when driving intoxicated. Teens and parents both need a strong reminder that underage drinking is illegal and can have disastrous consequences. According to Health Day News, “one study found that in 2011, 36 percent of U.S. college students said they'd gone binge drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) within the past two weeks, as compared to 43 percent of college students in 1988. Since 2006, the current law has reduced the rate of drunk driving crashes among young Americans” (Preidt, 2014 and DeJong, 2014). This proves that lives have been saved after the legal drinking age increased. According to an article in Time Magazine called “Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?”, “lowering the drinking age to 18 would stop infantilizing college students, but it would probably kill mor...
Without a doubt, the United States has been facing serious national problems with underage drinking. Depending on personal ideologies, some people might not agree that the current minimum drinking age of twenty-one is based on scientific facts rather then ideology of prohibitionism. For example, since 1975 over seventeen thousand lives have been saved since the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) was changed to age twenty-one (Balkin 167). This shows that even over a short amount of time, a higher MLDA helps decrease the risk of teen suicides, accidents and overdose deaths. However, this widely debated topic has inevitably brought attention to the plethora of supporting and opposing viewpoints. The minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one has shown significant results in the prevention of accidents and death studies across the board. Accordingly, the MLDA should remain at the current age of twenty-one.
According to Andrew Herman, “Each year, 14,000 die from drinking too much. 600,000 are victims of alcohol related physical assault and 17,000 are a result of drunken driving deaths, many being innocent bystanders” (470). These massive numbers bring about an important realization: alcohol is a huge issue in America today. Although the problem is evident in Americans of all ages, the biggest issue is present in young adults and teens. In fact, teens begin to feel the effects of alcohol twice as fast as adults and are more likely to participate in “binge-drinking” (Sullivan 473). The problem is evident, but the solution may be simple. Although opponents argue lowering the drinking age could make alcohol available to some teens not mature enough to handle it, lowering the drinking age actually teaches responsibility and safety in young adults, maintains consistency in age laws, and diminishes temptation.
In “perils of Prohibition” Elizabeth M. Whelan argues that the legal drinking age should be lowered to the age of 18. Dr. Whelan who is the president of the American council on science and health consortium supports this claim by declaring that, “today’s laws are unrealistic restricting young responsible teens to be allowed to drink when they turn 18”. She states that in today’s society teenagers are far more sophisticated than before. Dr. Whelan explains that teenagers have more responsibilities today than they held in the past. She also disputes that not allowing teenagers to drink makes an atmosphere where binge drinking have become a health problem. Dr. Whelan as a mother of a girl that will be going to college soon says that police should come much harder on alcohol abusers and drunk drivers of all ages. Dr. Whelan affirms that schools should start to educate children about safe alcohol consumption just as we do with safe sex and abstinence.
Do you know how many people die each year of Drunk Driving ? that’s right a lot nearly 25,000 people die each can you believe it . If you don't like to follow the rules you either get jail time , a harsh punishment ,lose your license not bad right ? It’s not bad its horrible how of one dumb mistake you make you lose everything instantly . You lose your family , your life ,your car , people you love , there’s no going back . Unless you have some kind of magic powers which nobody does . The punishments you get are pretty bad they have different ones in each country . For Example in Turkey you have to walk 2 miles away from your town with a police escort. In other countries you lose your license forever.
Bob Marley once said, “Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.” This is the case when it comes to teens and alcohol. In America, the National Minimum Legal Drinking Age is a topic of great debate and controversy. Many people argue that the age restriction provides a safe environment for all citizens; whereas others disagree that the law creates an untrustworthy aura among teens. If the minimum legal drinking age were to be lowered, most people would be affected by it, whether it be by an increase in drunk-driving or a rise in crimes. Although teens are legally considered adults by the age of eighteen and the minimum legal drinking age prompts underage teens to exhibit risky behavior, the age restriction should not be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen because young teens would have easier access to alcohol, the minimum legal drinking age has decreased alcohol-related problems, and alcohol can cause damage to underage drinkers.
There are numerous problems involving alcohol in the world today, including alcoholism, drunk driving, and alcohol poisoning leading to death. Many of these problems involve minors and are linked to drinking underage. The legal drinking age in many states is twenty-one years old. The purpose of this law is to keep minors out of danger: away from drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, and injuring the brain before it is fully developed. The government supports the belief that people are not ready or responsible enough for alcohol until this age. However, various professors and researchers are discovering ways to disprove this belief. These people think that reducing the drinking age to eighteen would influence our country in a positive way. Not only do minors support this idea, but there are numerous people and organizations that support the idea of lowering the drinking age as well. The current drinking law is counterproductive in our society because it’s not effective in eliminating underage drinking, and leads to unsafe situations such as drunk driving and alcohol poison instigated deaths. This problem could be solved by lowering the minimum drinking age to eighteen, with a drinking license.
It really is no secret that if the minimum legal drinking age were lowered, a large number of teens would then drink for perhaps the first time. “The age group with the most drivers involved in fatal crashes with Blood Alcohol Content levels of .08 or higher during 2011 was the twenty-one to twenty-four-year-olds” (“National Highway Traffic Facts”). Young adults are just as irresponsible at eighteen as they are at twenty-one, maybe even more irresponsible. The teenagers will indulge themselves on what they feel is a luxury the first chance they get. The young adults abuse the alcohol, and then go driving because even at twenty-one through twenty-four they are still not as responsible. If the age is lowered to eighteen, many eighteen-year-olds will go out and drink alcohol for the first time. The age group may rise to number one in fatal crashes. The National Highway Traff...
Teenage alcohol abuse is one of the major problems that affect academic performance, cause health problems and is responsible for the death of teenage drivers and sometime their passengers. Many teens drink because they think it is cool and do not understand the dangers of drinking alcohol. In 2008 a survey on the students views on alcohol was conducted in the Atlanta Public School System of 4,241 students surveyed results showed 74% of sixth graders felt there was a health risk while 25% felt there was no health risk; 81% of eighth graders felt there was a health risk, while 19% felt there was none; 82% of tenth graders felt there was a health risk, while 18% felt there was none, and 84% of twelve graders felt there was a health risk, while 15% felt there was none. Given these results on average of all grades, 20% of the students surveyed were unaware of the dangers of alcohol use. If one calculates, using the formular of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2003), “three teens are killed each day when they drink alcohol and drive. At least six more die every day from other alcohol-related causes” (table 79). The impact of this student population’s lack of knowledge equates to 49 of those students per week who most likely will die because they do not understand the dangers of alcohol.2
The growing awareness of alcohol hazards has made people more cautious of their drinking habits, particularly young adults. At present young adults have the highest prevalence of alcohol consumption than any other age group. They also drink more heavily, experience more negative consequences, and engage in more harmful activities, specifically drunk driving. Although surveys have documented a decline in recent years, consumption rates remain highest from late teen years to the late twenties (Johnston1-3). Despite the long-term decline since 1982 in alcohol related traffic deaths, a 4 percent increase occurred between 1994 and 1995 among young adults age 21 and over (Hingson 4). As alcohol-impaired driving persists, legal and community initiatives intervene to help reduce the problem, as well as, continuing research on possible solutions.
Despite the national 21 year old minimum legal drinking age, It’s apparent that individuals who are younger than 21 are consuming alcohol. Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among adolescents. Data from a survey in 2007, Monitoring The Future, showed that 16, 33, and 44% of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, respectively, reported alcohol use in the past 30 days, while 10, 22 and 26% reported having five or more drinks in a row in the past 2 weeks (Lipperman, 2010). Innovative work has examined the long-term effects of minimum legal drinking age. In the past-year alcohol and drug use disorders among of-age and aging adults, demonstrates the long-term beneficial effects of these laws on adult drinking behaviors (Gruenewald, 2011). Early alcohol
Alcohol is an illicit drug that is often used in society. People consume alcohol for many different reasons: celebration, depression, anxiety, boredom, and peer pressure. Alcohol targets different culture, gender and ages of people. In 2012, it has been reported that teenage students have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high school, and more than 1/2 have done so by 8th grade. It is incredibly simple for a teenager to find a way to attain alcohol. Even though it is illegal, it is available for their disposal through liquor cabinets at home or even older friends who buy it for them. Since there are so many possible outcomes of using alcohol, should the minimum legal drinking age be lowered to the age of eighteen? This paper will cover the pros and cons of alcohol among teenagers and weather the drinking age should remain the age of Twenty-One and the history of how it was set at that age.
Drunk driving is extremely impactful on the lives of you and others. While drinking and driving, you are not just endangering yourself, you are also endangering the lives of others. The driver of the car does not just control the car with their hands and feet. They need their brain to function properly so that you are able to react to objects on the road quicker and control the car. If you drink then drive/ drink while driving. Alcohol affects your brain in many ways that inhibit your ability to drive. Alcohol will affect your reaction time, it slows your reflexes which decrease your ability to react to objects on the road. It affects your vision, in can impair your color perception, and night vision. It slows down the movement in the muscles in your eye causing your visual perception to change. Alcohol affects your ability to track. You will not be able to judge the position of cars ahead of you, you won’t be able to judge the
As a result of underage drinking, 5,000 adolescents under the age of 21 die annually due to intoxication (taking motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides, and other injuries while intoxicated into consideration) (paragraph 2). Later in life, underage drinkers are more likely to develop alcoholism, poor performance in school, and risky sexual behavior (paragraph 43). Although this research is not opposed to my argument, there is an importance to acknowledging it as proof of dangerous, underage drinking occurring significantly regardless of whether it is illegal. More importantly, this research stems from adolescents drinking without the supervision of adults and in uncontrolled quantities. Since adolescents must wait a long period of time to drink legally, I believe they fear they must take advantage of drinking opportunities by excess drinking and risk of safety due to their restriction to alcohol. Based on this mindset, I believe exposure to alcohol at a younger age in controlled environments would not only decrease underage drinking in large quantities, but injury and death related to intoxication, as