Drinking Age Should Stay 21
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is releasing new data that shows that keeping the drinking age laws at 21 prevented an estimated 4,441 drunk driving deaths over the last five years.
NHTSA was responding to a national movement among colleges to turn back the drinking age to 18. After all, the argument goes, we sent 18-year-olds to die in Iraq, why not allow them to drink and take away the stigma of doing something “illegal”?
It is a youth issue that defies logic. Kids who aren't thinking straight at 21, aren't suddenly going to become more responsible at 18.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) headed a symposium on the issue. MADD says that “Turning our back on these laws would be a deadly mistake. Minimum drinking age laws are among the most effective measures ever used to reduce drunken driving deaths among America’s young people.”
Auto accidents remain the leading cause of death for teenagers. Having laws and enforcing the laws as well as enforcing the rules of the parents is the best course at this time.
Enforcing a ban on texting and talking on the cellphone will go a long way toward the problem of teen deaths behind the wheel. A new software called DriveAssist from Aegis Mobility Inc., is aimed at stopping teens from talking on the cell phone while driving.
The Aegis Mobility software blocks inbound calls and text messages when it determines that the cell phone is within a moving vehicle.
Nobody said parenting was going to be easy, but a little technology might help.