alcohol consumption were put in place to reduce the number of drunk-driving deaths among teens. One consequence, writes Steve Chapman, is that "a lot fewer teenagers now end their lives in alcohol-related traffic accidents. Since 1982 the number of youngsters killed in crashes involving a drunken teenage driver has plunged by 63 percent." Laurie Davies concurs: "We've had tremendous declines in alcohol-related fatalities among 16-to-20 age group in the past 20 years."

Some may argue that returning the legal drinking age to 18 would reduce the allure of alcohol as a "forbidden fruit," but according to the Alcohol Policies Project, "lowering the drinking age will make alcohol more available to an even younger population, replacing "forbidden fruit' with `low-hanging fruit.'" If 18-year-olds are allowed legal access to alcohol, younger teens will have a greater opportunity to obtain it illegally from older peers. According to Chapman, "Setting the drinking age at 21 can be criticized as a highly imperfect way of keeping booze away from college-age kids, who have devised numerous ways to get it. But it does hinder them at least a little. Perhaps more important, the existing law presents even greater obstacles for younger teens."

A popular argument in favor of lowering the drinking age to 18 is that 18 is widely considered the age of adulthood in the United States. At an age when young people are allowed, among other things, to enter the military, vote, drive a car, and even smoke, these same people are not allowed to drink. According to Chapman, "There are good reasons to treat 18-year-olds differently for different purposes. Some responsibilities they are ready for. Others they may not be. When many states lowered their drinking age [to 18] in the 1970s, alcohol-related highway deaths rose. If we abandon the 21-year drinking age, we can expect to forfeit a lot of lives, both young and old."

Although keeping the drinking age at 21 does not completely prevent teen drinking, lowering the drinking age to 18 would increase the harm to society. The Age-21 law has been successful in decreasing alcohol consumption among teenagers.

Resources
Alcohol Policies Project. "Do Not Lower the Drinking Age." Teen Alcoholism. Ed. Laura K. Egendorf. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001.
Chapman, Steve. "Age Restrictions on Alcohol Reduce Teen Drinking." Teens at Risk. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004.
Davies, Laurie. "Reviving National Efforts to Prevent Drunk Driving." Drunk Driving. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005.

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