Changing of the legal drinking age is becoming a relevant issue up for debate in the upcoming presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain. Since 1984, the legal age to consume alcohol has been 21 years of age, and now there is a possibility it will be lowered to 18.
“What is the difference? Most 18 year olds drink anyway. It isn’t fair that I can die for my country in a war, but I can’t have a beer with my father,” said Brendan O’Connor, a 19 year old junior at Quinnipiac University.
While McCain is in favor of lowering the drinking age, Obama is strongly against is, and he has plenty of reasons why. In a recent year, people aged 16 to 24 were involved in 28 percent of all alcohol-related driving accidents, although they make up only 14% of the U.S. population.
The risk of death for drivers in single-vehicle crashes with a high Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is 385 times that of a zero-BAC driver. For male drivers, the risk is 707 times that of a sober driver, according to estimates by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Fortunately, driving accidents have been declining among young people, and deaths associated with young drinking drivers (ages 16-24) are down dramatically, having dropped 47% in a recent 15-year period.
“As long as the kids aren’t driving, it usually isn’t a problem. 21 is too old. I think kids are drinking less than when they first changed it,” said Sgt. Sean McCarthy, 48, of the NYPD.
Although underage drinking rates have lowered over the past 20 years, the problems that result from it still plague America. The upcoming election will determine whether or not the legal age changes, and hopefully, the right decision will be made.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment