Title Have you ever seen the dangers of drinking firsthand? In this essay, facts will be presented that reveal some of the risks of lowering the drinking age. In addition, the facts will explain how lowering the drinking age would harm US citizens. This will be explained by examining the medical irresponsibility of teen drinking. Moreover, higher drinking ages reduce the number of traffic accidents related to alcohol. Lastly, lower drinking ages do not prevent teens from becoming intoxicated. Teen drinking is medically irresponsible and causes damage to the brain and body. “In 2011, 189,000 persons under 21 visited emergency departments due to alcohol use” (Consumer Information). Alcohol disrupts the brain’s communication pathways and changes how the brain looks and works. The changes in the brain can cause a change in mood or behavior as well as making it harder to think intelligibly and move with coordination (Alcohol's Effects on the …show more content…
“As a result of research evidence indicating that traffic crashes among youth increased following lowering of the legal age, a citizens' effort began urging states to raise the MLDA back to age 21” (Wagenaar and Toomey). Research has shown that the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act has helped reduce vehicle fatalities involving alcohol, especially among teens and young adults (Gallup, Inc). Teens drink and drive less often than adults do, but when they do drink and drive, they are more likely to crash than adults (Featured). “Underage drivers are more susceptible than adults to the alcohol-induced impairment of driving skills. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 21-year-old minimum drinking age laws have reduced alcohol traffic fatalities by 13 percent and have saved an estimated 28,765 lives since 1975. Still, about 1155 persons under 21 die every year in car crashes involving underage drinking” (Consumer