For many years the legal drinking age as well as the legal driving age has been up for debate. Problems such as underage drinking, binge drinking and drinking and driving are only a few of the many issues faced among teenagers. Obviously the U.S has done little to nothing try to control these issues that are happening every day. Something needs to change before these problems get any worse. The United States is constantly evolving and so should its laws. A lot has changed since these laws have been placed decades ago and its time to create laws that are more up to date with the current way of life. Lowering the drinking age to 16 and increasing the driving age to 18 would lead to a plethora of benefits for the citizens of the United States.
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By lowering it to 16, teens would be given the chance to learn proper drinking etiquette. At age 21 you are thrown into the bar scene and new drinkers tend to abuse their new legal rights. If it were lowered, teens would still be under parental consent and supervision. This could mean teens drinking at a more controlled pace. Possibly starting off with a beer/wine at dinner and working their way up to know their limits and restrictions. By doing so, adolescents would know their limits before having access to driving. David Hanson, a sociology professor from the State University of New York speaks regarding the subject, “Europeans are very intolerant of their peers who become intoxicated. They think its stupid, unacceptable, and that’s true throughout most of Europe. Many critics attribute that to Europe’s lower drinking ages, which they say helps cultivate a responsible drinking culture by allowing teenagers to ease into drinking at their own pace” (Minimum pg 7). David’s quote greatly depicts how lowering the drinking age would benefit teens in the US to learn the responsible drinking etiquette. A 2,000+ car is far more likely to kill someone than a 16 year old
By lowering it to 16, teens would be given the chance to learn proper drinking etiquette. At age 21 you are thrown into the bar scene and new drinkers tend to abuse their new legal rights. If it were lowered, teens would still be under parental consent and supervision. This could mean teens drinking at a more controlled pace. Possibly starting off with a beer/wine at dinner and working their way up to know their limits and restrictions. By doing so, adolescents would know their limits before having access to driving. David Hanson, a sociology professor from the State University of New York speaks regarding the subject, “Europeans are very intolerant of their peers who become intoxicated. They think its stupid, unacceptable, and that’s true throughout most of Europe. Many critics attribute that to Europe’s lower drinking ages, which they say helps cultivate a responsible drinking culture by allowing teenagers to ease into drinking at their own pace” (Minimum pg 7). David’s quote greatly depicts how lowering the drinking age would benefit teens in the US to learn the responsible drinking etiquette. A 2,000+ car is far more likely to kill someone than a 16 year old