21 is just old enough in order to save lives

By Frank Curreri
Collegian Staff
February 7, 2007

The issue of being under 21 and not legally able to drink in college is a topic that is of some intrigue to many university students across the nation.

For as long as I can remember, the argument in defense of lowering the drinking has been, “If I can go to war for this country when I am 18, why do I have to be 21 to buy a beer?” To an extent, I can see where people are coming from when they utter something like this. After all, the ability to consume one beer bottle should not be comparable to offering one’s life in service to the country. But I think the problem with this age-old argument is that college students may not know of the origin of the 21-year-old law and why it was set to that specific age.

In the late 1960s and early ’70s, numerous states experimented with lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18. As one could imagine, research documented a significant increase in highway deaths of teens as a direct result of this law change. During the 1980s, those same states raised the drinking age back to 21. These states were closely monitored to see the relationship between the new law and the number of highway fatalities. Researchers found that some states noticed as a drop of as high as 28 percent in teenagers’ involvement with fatal car crashes. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), research estimates that from 1975-2002, more than 21,000 lives have been saved because of the law change.

In truth, my 21st birthday was not my first time consuming alcohol. However, this fact does not mean I agree with the popular demand of having the drinking age lowered to 18.

I am going to have to strongly disagree with a law change that promotes teenagers being allowed to legally drink. Sure, drinking usually begins in high school, and a majority of students drink before they are 21, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it is illegal. If the statistics I shared with you earlier weren’t enough, just think of your own life.

People abuse drinking alcohol and have for a long time. It is not enough to have a couple of beers. Most students feel the need to get so drunk that they won’t even know their own names.

At the age of 21, after experiencing life beyond high school, the level of maturity greatly rises. Students can judge when they have had enough, a feat younger individuals may not be able to accomplish. This is most apparent for those in their freshman year of college.

Drinking is not merely a social activity, it is a theatrical performance as well. People will do what is necessary to fit in, make a scene or both. It would be total chaos if the drinking age were lowered to 18. I can just picture it now, and I don’t know how anyone in his or her right mind could not either. If you thought the total alcohol-related fatalities was high in the ’70s when states experimented with this, I could almost guarantee the total would increase just by judging how college students act now. I am sorry to say to all of you 18 to 20-year-olds reading this, but you’ll just have to wait a little bit longer to buy your own booze.

currerif11@lasalle.edu