Argument Against Lowering The Drinking Age

     Should the legal drinking age be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen? I believe that the legal drinking age should not be lowered to the age eighteen. The age should stay at the age it is currently at.

“Back in the 1970s when states started lowering the drinking age to 18, that’s when there were increases in traffic fatalities, and people said lets go back to the way it was. We forget there is so much science and historical context here. We have been down this road before.” (Michele Simon[1], 9/1/08)

     As from the quote above, we have already tried to lower the drinking age to eighteen years old. When this happened, there were an increase in traffic fatalities. I believe if we try to do this again, traffic fatalities will be far worse because there are a lot more factors that go into driving now. Not only are cellular phones a big distraction while driving, but we also have bigger, stronger, and faster vehicles than we did in the 1970s. I further believe that kids should wait until they’re 21 so hopefully they can be more mature and hopefully drink in a mature environment.

     One of the counter arguments for this debate is that if we lower it, then there wouldn’t be a strong urge to do it because it isn’t illegal. This is partially true, because when I wasn’t able to attend a strip club when I was not of age, all I wanted to do was go there. Now that I am of age, I haven’t gone once. But, drinking is a different story. Drinking can affect a person’s state of mind. Me going to a strip club has no serious consequences, but me drinking and driving could lead to me or someone else dying.

     Another argument is that traffic fatalities may have been avoided if there were other variables at play, such as the use of restraints, better automobile design, improved hospital trauma care and stricter traffic laws. This is a red herring to the subject. The person with this argument took away from the fact that drinking caused these accidents. Just because these other things could have prevented a fatality, it doesn’t escape the fact the drinking caused the accidents.

     I do not believe that the drinking age should be lowered. There is no real reason for it to be. There is no strong argument that can beat the fact that many lives are lost due to drinking at a younger age. The drinking age should remain at 21.

[1] Research and policy director at the Marin Institute, an alcohol industry watchdog group. http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-drinking1-2008sep01,0,4119761,full.story