Drinking Age: A Case Study

Drinking and driving is the leading cause of death in America. Data shows that there were “10,076 deaths in 2013” (BETTS 1) related to intoxicated driving. When people think of drinking and driving they understand the consequences of such action. Yet, such thoughts will not prevent them from committing the actions themselves. Luckily, in the world we live in today, there are many solutions to solve this criminal act. Various educational campaigns against drinking and driving are a possible solution when trying to reduce the number of intoxicated related incidents. There are many options to educate people on the matter of drinking and driving such as social media which will allow the younger drivers to connect with the real issue or having

civilians. While there are some benefits to having the drinking age be at 21, reducing the drinking age to 18 will properly scale down the number of alcohol related accidents. A lower drinking age will properly allow the first time drinker to be surrounded by more experienced drinkers. By lowering the drinking age, teens are able to drink in bars with grown adults. Statistic shows that “by age 18, about 65 percent of teens have had at least 1 drink” (Underage Drinking). By the age of 21, many teens still have not learned responsible drinking which caused further problems such as drinking and driving. Despite learning about responsible drinking and knowing the consequences of drinking and driving, drivers still choose to drink and drive. Clearly, even with guidance and education, people are still choosing to drink and

Sobriety checkpoints will allow the authority to have visible checkpoints in which a driver may be required to have their breath tested for alcohol. A sobriety checkpoints will allow the police to stop intoxicated drivers before any serious problems have been caused. Either way, police officers are able to detain any drivers that seemed to be impaired which will reduce the number of accidents. Even though sobriety checkpoints might seem like an the all end solution, studies show that “deputies were wrong 80% of the time when they thought reasonable suspicion justified forcing a driver to take FST” (Sobriety Checkpoints). Clearly, humans error is a main factor in these types of laws which is why sobriety checkpoints should not be a main