America's driving age and drinking age

[TheCorm]

As far as I understand it, it's 16 to drive and 21 to drink yeah in most states yeah?

Whats up with that.....I mean you can drive a massive machine around capable of killing when you are 16 but have to wait another 5 years before you can have a drink in the bar??

I know alcohol can be wrong in the wrong hands but so can a car and them going together is illegal for all ages so that point doesn't even need to be factored in.

Over here we have it as 17 for driving and 18 for drinking, I think both should be 18 really.

Jamie

 

[dxkj]

Makes about as much sense that you can join the military, shoot people, get killed, but still have to wait 3 years to have a drink.

 

[chin311]

i think 16 is OK for driving, 18 would be the max i think that would be acceptable.

and yes the drinking age IMO is the dumbest thing in the USA, i mean at 18 you can GO TO WAR, BUY A HOUSE, MOVE OUT, GET LOANS, BUY GUNS + AMMO, but cant have a beer? dumbest thing ever.

highest age to drink in the world, even Canada is only @ 19 😕

 

[vi edit]

It's tough to compare us to Europe. We have a very poor public transportation system, and we have a amount of our population in rural areas with a long drive (20+ miles) to get to school.

We also have kids that can't seem to act responsible either. The single most deadly age group behind the wheel of a car is a 16-20 year old under the influence of alcohol.

Oh, also, many states are working on a graduated driving system that restricts your driving privledges until you are 18.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
It's tough to compare us to Europe. We have a very poor public transportation system, and we have a amount of our population in rural areas with a long drive (20+ miles) to get to school.

We also have kids that can't seem to act responsible either. The single most deadly age group behind the wheel of a car is a 16-20 year old under the influence of alcohol.

Oh, also, many states are working on a graduated driving system that restricts your driving privledges until you are 18.

I would argue that at least part of our problem with young people and alcohol is our prohibition of it. By restricting it, we make it more attractive to those who might otherwise enjoy it in a responsible manner.

As for the driving, I think the largest problem there is an insufficient driver training system. Most people don't even know how to react in emergency situations (good example: blowouts in SUV's are not a problem unless the driver over-reacts and makes sudden steering, throttle, or brake inputs). We need to improve our driver's education system substantially. I would go so far as to suggest requiring track time to practice emergency maneuvers.

ZV

 

[chin311]

Zenmervolt is right.

only reason underage drinking is soooo bad is because when kids do get ahold of drinks all they want to do is get trashed becuase your 'not allowed' to drink. I think its teh same thing with smoking, a big reason kids do it before they are '18' and 'allowed'.

if it was "legal" for 18+ to drink, i highly doubt it would be a big problem.

 

I know alcohol can be wrong in the wrong hands but so can a car and them going together is illegal for all ages so that point doesn't even need to be factored in.

Incorrect, that is exactly why the drinking age is 21.

 

[TheCorm]

I think that having the drinking age as 21 makes it more attractive because it's forbidden, over here the accidents involving young drivers driving like bell ends are not that often because of alcohol, just because they are bell ends....so I fail to see your point...it can't be backed up unless your laws change, it would only be based on assumption and theory, over here we have only a 1yr gap between the two....I think that smoking, drining and driving should be 18 in any country.

 

[Linflas]

If todays 18-21 year olds weren't so apathetic the 21 year old drinking age never would have resurfaced from the well deserved death the baby boomers gave it. As far as I am concerned if you are old enough to vote, fight, and die for this country you are an adult and entitled to all the rights and responsibilities that entails.

 

[amcdonald]

I don't know about you guys, but I would still have gotten trashed every weekend if it was legal... when you are in high school and there's nothing to do, alcohol is an obvious solution. There were plenty of people who didn't smoke weed but still got drunk constantly. I agree that the drinking age should be 18, but I don't think that would help reduce teen drinking/driving accidents.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

16: The DMV thinks you're adult enough to drive
18: The federal government thinks you're old enough to vote, drive a tank, and be tried as an adult, the state governements think you're old enough to smoke.
21: The state governments think you're adult enough to drink.
25: The insurance companies consider you an adult.

 

[WhiteKnight]

The only problem I see with the drinking age at 18 is that then it's in high schools, which opens it up to younger high schoolers too. I realize that 18 is the magic age in our culture, but I think that 19 would be better so that it's restricted to college.

It's too bad we can't just change the way our society (United States) views alcohol, then we wouldn't need the age limit at all.

 

I think that having the drinking age as 21 makes it more attractive because it's forbidden, over here the accidents involving young drivers driving like bell ends are not that often because of alcohol, just because they are bell ends....so I fail to see your point...it can't be backed up unless your laws change, it would only be based on assumption and theory, over here we have only a 1yr gap between the two....I think that smoking, drining and driving should be 18 in any country.

So much for your opinion, this IS NOT assumption and theory, these are FACTS

Back in the late 1960's and early 70's a number of states lowered their drinking age from 21 to 18. In many of these states, research documented a significant increase in highway deaths of the teens affected by these laws. So, in the early 1980's a movement began to raise the drinking age back to 21. After the law changed back to 21, many of the states were monitored to check the difference in highway fatalities. Researchers found that teenage deaths in fatal car crashes dropped considerable - in some cases up to 28% - when the laws were moved back to 21. Like it or not, it is clear that more young people were killed on the highways when the drinking age was 18.

These statistics were gathered by the U.S. Government.

 

[chin311]

Originally posted by: Roger

I think that having the drinking age as 21 makes it more attractive because it's forbidden, over here the accidents involving young drivers driving like bell ends are not that often because of alcohol, just because they are bell ends....so I fail to see your point...it can't be backed up unless your laws change, it would only be based on assumption and theory, over here we have only a 1yr gap between the two....I think that smoking, drining and driving should be 18 in any country.

So much for your opinion, this IS NOT assumption and theory, these are FACTS

Back in the late 1960's and early 70's a number of states lowered their drinking age from 21 to 18. In many of these states, research documented a significant increase in highway deaths of the teens affected by these laws. So, in the early 1980's a movement began to raise the drinking age back to 21. After the law changed back to 21, many of the states were monitored to check the difference in highway fatalities. Researchers found that teenage deaths in fatal car crashes dropped considerable - in some cases up to 28% - when the laws were moved back to 21. Like it or not, it is clear that more young people were killed on the highways when the drinking age was 18.

These statistics were gathered by the U.S. Government.

 

WOW, that was a clever reply, care to add to that ?

 

[chin311]

Originally posted by: Roger
WOW, that was a clever reply, care to add to that ?

yes, im 18 and want my beer damn!t! 🙂

its ok, really, the rules may be there, but i can get a hold of alcohol as easily as you can 🙂

 

Well good for you little boy.

These are not rules, these are laws, get caught, go to jail 🙂

 

[Gyrene]

Originally posted by: Roger

I think that having the drinking age as 21 makes it more attractive because it's forbidden, over here the accidents involving young drivers driving like bell ends are not that often because of alcohol, just because they are bell ends....so I fail to see your point...it can't be backed up unless your laws change, it would only be based on assumption and theory, over here we have only a 1yr gap between the two....I think that smoking, drining and driving should be 18 in any country.

So much for your opinion, this IS NOT assumption and theory, these are FACTS

Back in the late 1960's and early 70's a number of states lowered their drinking age from 21 to 18. In many of these states, research documented a significant increase in highway deaths of the teens affected by these laws. So, in the early 1980's a movement began to raise the drinking age back to 21. After the law changed back to 21, many of the states were monitored to check the difference in highway fatalities. Researchers found that teenage deaths in fatal car crashes dropped considerable - in some cases up to 28% - when the laws were moved back to 21. Like it or not, it is clear that more young people were killed on the highways when the drinking age was 18.

These statistics were gathered by the U.S. Government.

And we all trust the U.S. Government...

😛

 

[chin311]

Originally posted by: Roger
Well good for you little boy.

These are not rules, these are laws, get caught, go to jail 🙂

laws, rules, yeah yeah.

little boy? ill remember that next time you want me to go to war for you

get caught? highly doubt it.

 

OK, for all the children disagreeing with me, go ahead and drink and drive, go kill some innocent person, or better yet, kill yourself or end up in a wheel chair, it's very obvious that everyone is below the drinking age here 🙂

You are all too young to realize or don't care, either way, good luck to you, you are going to need it 🙂

It's obvous that none of you are open minded enough to listen, soooo, end of discussion 🙂

 

[chin311]

Originally posted by: Roger
OK, for all the children disagreeing with me, go ahead and drink and drive, go kill some innocent person, or better yet, kill yourself or end up in a wheel chair, it's very obvious that everyone is below the drinking age here 🙂

You are all too young to realize or don't care, either way, good luck to you, you are going to need it 🙂

LOL thank you, have a :beer:

i dont drink & drive, so i wont need any luck 😉

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
16: The DMV thinks you're adult enough to drive
18: The federal government thinks you're old enough to vote, drive a tank, and be tried as an adult, the state governements think you're old enough to smoke.
21: The state governments think you're adult enough to drink.
25: The insurance companies consider you an adult.

ahh wrong.

21 is not the age STATE governments think you are a adult. it was actually the Federal goverment that forced the states to adopt the age. the feds told the states that if they dont adopt it then they would hold out on money for the highway's. Since the states still had to build the highway and didnt want to pay for it they were forced to adopt the 21 age limit.

personally i think its BS. At 18 i was able to join the military but not buy a case of beer? pfft. if a person is able to join the military and learn to kill and have the risk of being killed then they should enjoy all rights and freedoms a "real" adult has.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: Roger

I think that having the drinking age as 21 makes it more attractive because it's forbidden, over here the accidents involving young drivers driving like bell ends are not that often because of alcohol, just because they are bell ends....so I fail to see your point...it can't be backed up unless your laws change, it would only be based on assumption and theory, over here we have only a 1yr gap between the two....I think that smoking, drining and driving should be 18 in any country.

So much for your opinion, this IS NOT assumption and theory, these are FACTS

Back in the late 1960's and early 70's a number of states lowered their drinking age from 21 to 18. In many of these states, research documented a significant increase in highway deaths of the teens affected by these laws. So, in the early 1980's a movement began to raise the drinking age back to 21. After the law changed back to 21, many of the states were monitored to check the difference in highway fatalities. Researchers found that teenage deaths in fatal car crashes dropped considerable - in some cases up to 28% - when the laws were moved back to 21. Like it or not, it is clear that more young people were killed on the highways when the drinking age was 18.

These statistics were gathered by the U.S. Government.

I agree with our goverments findings...Mixing Alcohol with inexperienced drivers is just begging for trouble.

Ausm

 

[chin311]

Originally posted by: ausm

Originally posted by: Roger

I think that having the drinking age as 21 makes it more attractive because it's forbidden, over here the accidents involving young drivers driving like bell ends are not that often because of alcohol, just because they are bell ends....so I fail to see your point...it can't be backed up unless your laws change, it would only be based on assumption and theory, over here we have only a 1yr gap between the two....I think that smoking, drining and driving should be 18 in any country.

So much for your opinion, this IS NOT assumption and theory, these are FACTS

Back in the late 1960's and early 70's a number of states lowered their drinking age from 21 to 18. In many of these states, research documented a significant increase in highway deaths of the teens affected by these laws. So, in the early 1980's a movement began to raise the drinking age back to 21. After the law changed back to 21, many of the states were monitored to check the difference in highway fatalities. Researchers found that teenage deaths in fatal car crashes dropped considerable - in some cases up to 28% - when the laws were moved back to 21. Like it or not, it is clear that more young people were killed on the highways when the drinking age was 18.

These statistics were gathered by the U.S. Government.

I agree with our goverments findings...Mixing Alcohol with inexperienced drivers is just begging for trouble.

Ausm

WTF? where have you been? your not supposed to DRIVE AND DRINK no matter how old you are

 

[Mill]

In 18 you cannot buy tobacco in Alabama or Utah. At 18 you cannot sign a contract or get a mortgage is Alabama. You must be 19 to do all of those things. Don't ask me why...