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Minimum Legal Drinking Age Essay

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The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) was put in place to potentially save lives and protect people’s health. The legal drinking age in Manitoba, as of today, is 18 years of age. Look at the rest of the country, the majority of them have raised their drinking age to 19. Should the legal drinking age in Manitoba be raised? Hospital rates, motor vehicle related accidents while under the influence, and suicide-alcohol rates are the key points that seemed to have changed after the MLDA was put into place. These went up in rate when the drinking age was reduced from the ages 20-21 down to 18-19 in the 1970’s to help align the minimum legal drinking age with the age of majority. This proves that, yes, the drinking age in Manitoba should be raised …show more content…

Now most of these are not significant increases but are still evidence that shows the increase in visits after MLDA. We have a total of approximately 9.6% increase in self-inflicted injuries, a total of approximately 2.2% in assaults, and a total of approximately 3.4% increase in external injuries. All these were recorded while the person was under the influence of alcohol. The one major increase we can all see as the minimum legal drinking age has gone down is that the number of alcohol poisoning related visits has significantly gone up in numbers, for males and females. In males, we saw an increase of about 17.3% in alcohol poisoning related visits to the hospital. Females have an approximately 21.1% increase in alcohol poisoning related visits to the hospital. Although we do see a pretty significant increase in alcohol poisoning visits. That does not mean that everyone involved with this is at the legal drinking age. Lowering the age, however, may have influenced younger teens to peruse this experience as well. This shows that more people are drinking because of this law and one thing will increase for sure and that is motor vehicle

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“There’s No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age” explains, on average about eleven teens die daily as a result of drunk driving (Voas 464). When teens throw a party, alcohol is usually involved. Then once the party is over the kids have to get home somehow and they often drive themselves. When an alcoholic drink is placed in an eighteen-year-old hand decisions are made that harm them and others

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Although it is a law commonly evaded; it prevents young people from car accidents and alcohol abuse or dependence. In the article is acknowledged that “more than 40 percent of college students reported at least one symptom of alcohol abuse or dependence”; a rate that would be highly increased if the drinking age is reduced. On top of that, it is worth considering the magnitude in which car accidents have dropped since the drinking age was lowered. The organization Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD) CEO Chuck Hurley said “Nearly all peer- reviewed studies looking at the change showed raising the driving age reduced drunk-driving deaths.” It is undeniable that lowering the drinking age would generate an already managed issue in regards alcohol and its relation to car

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The essay implies no matter how old drinking people are older MLDA will lead to less drinking, fewer injuries and fewer deaths. In other words, if MDLA is lowered to 18 or lower, then young people tend to fall in drunk driving and they will be injured or die. As a statistical example, this essay uses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s estimation which has saved more than 25,000 lives since 1975 after setting the MDLA 21. This research strengthens this essay’s claim that higher MDLA proves the higher life-saving. On the other hand, the proponent essay says that “drunk driving fatalities are lower now than they were in 1982”, but the author does not uses any statistical research which proves that they are lower

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The drinking age in Ontario should clearly be changed and increased to the age of 21 instead of 19. It should change because drunk driving is a major issue, many health organizations have requested upon a change, and finally students react differently when alcohol is consumed. Therefore, the drinking age should clearly be raised, so all of this could happen less frequently. Health organizations are suggesting it to be changed“ The last time Ontario considered a change was in 2008, when a board of health officially requested the province to increase the drinking age to 21” (2013, Pg: ½).

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It has just been “pushed underground” causing more risky behaviors and situations. The MLDA will not affect the underaged drinking age accidents because the already occur in most

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However, “90% of drunk driving deaths in the United States were found in the over 21 age group” (Gruenewald). For this reason, drunk driving is not directly correlated with the drinking age. In addition, the percent of drunk driving deaths in the United States has reduced at a slower rate than European countries where they have their legal drinking age at eighteen. This suggest that if lowering the drinking age was a success in Europe, it may also be effective here in the United States to diminish the amount of drunk driving deaths. This is because people that become injured due to alcohol or alcohol poisoning are afraid to report their injuries to the hospital or authorities out of fear of illegal consequences for underage drinking.

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It has always been a part of cultures everywhere around the world and there is nothing different in today’s world. One major argument against raising the drinking age is that lowering the age does not reduce the fatalities attributed to drunk driving, on the contrary the amount of deaths increase as the drinking age is lowered. The article states that people who are younger still have a developing mind and they are still careless in the activities they do. According to the article the 21 age limit for alcohol has saved over 23,000 people since the drinking age was raised in 1975. Another major argument is that kids or teenagers will do what they want regardless of the rules that are in place.

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It has instead pushed underage binge drinking into private and less controlled environments, leading to more health and life-endangering behaviors by teens. If the legal drinking age was lowered, those teens would be able to drink in a more controlled and much more safe environment where they can be monitored and supervised. Then they will be less likely to harm themselves or others. The second argument that is used is that there are fewer drunk driving accidents in countries with lower drinking ages. In quite a few countries around the world, the legal drinking age is already 18.

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The main reason why I believe the drinking age should be raised is because it would create safer environments, and could also decrease the amount of DUI’s. Most of time, people who buy alcohol at the age of 21 are still in college. They purchase and consume alcohol to have a ‘good time,’ which is in fact, a common

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This law changed to 21 because all states would “lose a certain percentage of federal highway dollars” (“Frequently Asked”). Not only that but the rates of excessive drinking went up, along with drunk driving. Driving alone is hard enough, especially if the person is a new driver, but add alcohol and there is a very deadly mix. Being able to legally drink at the age of “21 decreased the number of fatal traffic accidents for 18- to 20-year-olds by 13% and saved approximately 27,052 lives from 1975-2008” (“Should the Drinking Age”). Since there have been less drunk driving accidents when the minimum age for drinking changed to 21, it is a safer environment if the drinking age is left at 21 instead of being

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The new drinking age may be eighteen, however, their friend group likely consists of kids seventeen and younger helping themselves to the party liquor. Since the driving age is lower than the drinking age, the underage children will hop right in their cars and take off, under the influence. This puts both the underage drivers and all the other drivers on the road, sober or not, at risk of an alcohol related accident. Lowering the drinking age would give children easier access to

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The drunk driving problem has been adamant and continues to endanger the lives of various citizens. For most drunk driving offenders arrested, high

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Though people believe it would be good to lower the drinking age, we should look at the death or injury rates where alcohol is the cause, compared to the rates of accidents from people who hadn’t been intoxicated. There has been much data collected over the years showing just how much healthier and safer not only the US is, but many other countries have become since raising the legal drinking age to twenty-one. If nothing else, look at the one third of every twenty-five, thousand people that die every year due to alcohol related crashes where the victim wasn’t even intoxicated. Not only does alcohol have life changing effects on the people drinking it, but also everyone around

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