2008 Woodie Awards
Editorial: Change isn't always good
Issue date: 11/26/08 Section: The News
Some college presidents have supported an effort to lower the drinking age to 18.
According to the initiative's website, their supporters believe young adults who have an opportunity to experience alcohol
at an earlier stage in life will learn to limit consumption and exercise more control, especially those attending
four-year campuses.
The Amethyst Initiative, project of the non-profit organization Choose Responsibility, call for a network of colleges to discuss changing the legal drinking age.
Thankfully DCCCD Chancellor Wright Lasiter and President Carol Brown do not necessarily support the change and we agree.
We believe Chancellors and presidents of universities should not encourage changing the legal dinking age.
The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 1 6- to 19- years-olds than among any other age group.
In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16-19 are four times more likely than drivers to crash.
People under 21 lacks the matured to handle drinking and are already a risk why make them a higher risk. Then when you throw alcohol into the mix these stats could be even worse.
Overall, in 2005, teenagers accounted for the 10 percent of the U.S. population and 12 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths.
Young people ages 15-24 represent only 14 percent of the U.S. population. How, ever, they account for 30 percent (19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females.
At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.
Lowering the minimum drinking age to 18 is both misguided and dangerous lowering the national drinking age would inevitably lead to more tragedies for more families.
etc4640@dcccd.edu
According to the initiative's website, their supporters believe young adults who have an opportunity to experience alcohol
at an earlier stage in life will learn to limit consumption and exercise more control, especially those attending
four-year campuses.
The Amethyst Initiative, project of the non-profit organization Choose Responsibility, call for a network of colleges to discuss changing the legal drinking age.
Thankfully DCCCD Chancellor Wright Lasiter and President Carol Brown do not necessarily support the change and we agree.
We believe Chancellors and presidents of universities should not encourage changing the legal dinking age.
The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 1 6- to 19- years-olds than among any other age group.
In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16-19 are four times more likely than drivers to crash.
People under 21 lacks the matured to handle drinking and are already a risk why make them a higher risk. Then when you throw alcohol into the mix these stats could be even worse.
Overall, in 2005, teenagers accounted for the 10 percent of the U.S. population and 12 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths.
Young people ages 15-24 represent only 14 percent of the U.S. population. How, ever, they account for 30 percent (19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females.
At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.
Lowering the minimum drinking age to 18 is both misguided and dangerous lowering the national drinking age would inevitably lead to more tragedies for more families.
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