10 seconds and everything has changed. One wrong decision while under the influence can change everything for a person and affect the people around them. Underage drinking has become a significant issue throughout the years and has caused several people to question the drinking age, especially on college campuses. Having college students drink is harmful to their bodies, especially when they binge drink, but also causes problems for society. There are several consequences associated with drinking in general: drunk driving, violence, poor judgment, and poor decision making. These are harmful consequences, even for adults and allowing teenagers to drink will increase the number of times these consequences occur and the severity of the consequences.
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According to MADD, “Every 53 minutes on average, someone is killed in a drunk driving crash” (1). This emphasizes how drunk driving accidents have become a part of our everyday lives and at this rate, anyone could be influenced. “According to NHTSA, 9,967 people died in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2014, down 1.1 percent from 10,076 in 2013. Slowly the percentage is decreasing, but there are still many that are going to be influenced by the actions of others” (3). Along with drunk driving, the consequences associated with drinking are never ending, from brain damage to causing mental health problems (5). Society is aware that drinking has an impact on lives, but they are not fully aware of the potential of these consequences. Teenagers are already known for being reckless driving and lowering the drinking age will not help road safety. Having seen my brother be in a drunk driving crash and have his car completely destroyed, shows how drinking and driving can affect anyone and at any time. In this case, the driver was in his mid-twenties, which is above the drinking age. This demonstrates why the drinking age should not be lowered. If someone who is over the drinking age is capable of causing this much damage, anyone under the age of 21 could cause more harm to themselves and others. Amelia M. Arria states, “lowering the drinking age to 18 would likely result in a surge of alcohol-related traffic problems, given that younger students would have even less driving experience” (6). Adults make unwise decisions and they have more experiences than an 18-year-old. Therefore, having the drinking age at 18-years-old will increase the number of consequences, such as drunk driving accidents to
According to MADD, “Every 53 minutes on average, someone is killed in a drunk driving crash” (1). This emphasizes how drunk driving accidents have become a part of our everyday lives and at this rate, anyone could be influenced. “According to NHTSA, 9,967 people died in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2014, down 1.1 percent from 10,076 in 2013. Slowly the percentage is decreasing, but there are still many that are going to be influenced by the actions of others” (3). Along with drunk driving, the consequences associated with drinking are never ending, from brain damage to causing mental health problems (5). Society is aware that drinking has an impact on lives, but they are not fully aware of the potential of these consequences. Teenagers are already known for being reckless driving and lowering the drinking age will not help road safety. Having seen my brother be in a drunk driving crash and have his car completely destroyed, shows how drinking and driving can affect anyone and at any time. In this case, the driver was in his mid-twenties, which is above the drinking age. This demonstrates why the drinking age should not be lowered. If someone who is over the drinking age is capable of causing this much damage, anyone under the age of 21 could cause more harm to themselves and others. Amelia M. Arria states, “lowering the drinking age to 18 would likely result in a surge of alcohol-related traffic problems, given that younger students would have even less driving experience” (6). Adults make unwise decisions and they have more experiences than an 18-year-old. Therefore, having the drinking age at 18-years-old will increase the number of consequences, such as drunk driving accidents to