According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2010, underage drinking has cost the American economy an astounding $24 billion dollars.(“Alcohol and Public Health.”) Every state in the United States has their minimum drinking age set at 21, though some states have certain exceptions, including drinking under adult supervision, for medical purposes, and consumption at home (“Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?”). There are many controversies surrounding this topic; some people support a Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) of 21 and others believe in a MLDA of 18 (“Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?”). The minimum drinking age should not be lowered from age 21 to 18 because more citizens will be exposed to dangerous areas, MLDA 21 has reduced car injuries and death, and underage drinking harms the brain’s development.
To begin with, a minimum legal drinking age of 21 protects a part of the population from being allowed to enter at dangerous environments. 76% of bars have irresponsibly sold alcohol to “obviously intoxicated patrons”, and about half of drivers arrested or killed have done their drinking at an alcohol licensed premises. Also, neighborhoods with more bars, nightclubs, and other alcohol-selling locations experience more assaults and other dangerous crimes such as
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As an effect of increasing the national drinking age, the National Highway Transportation System Administration estimates that raising the national drinking age has saved more than 500 lives each year (Griggs) and “decreased the amount of fatal accidents for 18-20 year olds by 13%” (“The Current Drinking Age”). Additionally, a study in New Zealand has shown that after lowering its drinking age to 18, drivers 18-19 faced a bigger risk in taking part of “alcohol-related crashes that cause death or injury.”