Problems Caused by Lowering the Drinking Age

The Uniform Drinking Age Act, a federal act enacted in 1984, sets the minimum legal drinking age in most states at 21 years of age. In the 2000s, however, some college organizations and civil action groups voiced their opinions that the minimum legal drinking age should be lowered to 18. For some, such a change would cause several problems.

Leads to Crashes

• A danger for any individual when under the influence of alcohol is the risk of drunk driving and crashing an automobile. This risk is considered to be increased when it comes to teens, who may be especially reckless when driving. Lowering the drinking age could lead to more teen drivers consuming alcohol and, thus, lead to more driving accidents. For example, statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2008 indicate that, since the advent of the federal standard drinking age in 1984, fatalities involving drivers aged between 18 and 20 has been reduced by roughly 13 percent.

Parents Not Consulted

• Some critics of reducing the legal drinking age worry that the move would prevent parents from being able to positively influence their children in their drinking habits. Because teenagers would be at liberty to order alcohol from stores and bars at an earlier age, they may be less likely to discuss drinking with their parents. This lack of family consultation could be disastrous for American society, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

Leads to Dependency

• The earlier a person begins to drink alcohol on a regular basis, the higher chance he has of becoming reliant on drinking. According to a 2006 article in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 9 percent of people who began drinking at 21 developed alcohol dependency; however, those who started drinking earlier than 21 had a considerably greater likelihood of alcohol problems. Experts have suggested the young brain is susceptible to developing a need for alcohol, which is hard to become rid of later in life, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Binge Drinking Problems

• Critics of proposals to lower the drinking age fear the United States could be affected by binge drinking problems in the same way many European countries are, such as the United Kingdom. Binge drinking is a social phenomenon where individuals consume vast amounts of alcohol in one night, breaking the recommended guidelines for drinking. Binge drinking is linked to antisocial behavior, among other problems.