Drink like Europeans

I attended a party last weekend. With the number of people, the amount of alcohol and the volume of the music pouring from the speakers, one could predict what would happen next – the police would be joining us very soon. Sure enough, the long beam of a flashlight poured over the crowd of partygoers at about 1 a.m. and the race began. Underage drinkers fled in every direction, while I stood with an amused smile on my face. \n For my part, I gave the officer a nod, sat down my cup and walked out the back gate. After all, I’m a little old to be drinking underage. But I was left pondering, as so many often are, what the young consumers were doing that was detrimental to society. \nIdeas concerning the difficulties of underage drinking began to circulate when I stumbled across a Web site of the nonprofit organization “Choose Responsibility,” which was founded by former Middlebury College President John M. McCardell Jr. It advocates public discourse about underage drinking and the lowering of the legal drinking age. Of primary concern is the possibility of alcohol related traffic accidents for young people.\nAccording to the U.S. Department of Transportation, automobile accidents are the number one killer of teenagers. Attributes such as inexperience and an inclination toward reckless behavior – such as speeding and lack of safety belt use – are top reasons that fatality rates are so high in teenage drivers. Combine such characteristics with some Old No. 7 and you get a concoction for tragedy. But combining these statistics with the apparent phenomenon that (gasp) the 21-year-old age limit for alcohol consumption is not stopping minor consumption, re-evaluating the two together might give heed to progress. \nPerhaps the combination necessary to reduce alcohol-related teen traffic fatalities is one of lowering the drinking age while simultaneously raising the legal driving age, as in the case of some European countries, such as France and the Czech Republic (legal alcohol sale ages of 16 and 18 respectively, both have 18-year-old driving limits). Since a Department of Justice study found that 21 percent of American teens had been drunk within the past 30 days at the time of survey as opposed to only 13 percent of European teens, it would seem that lowering the drinking age would cut down on consumption. With the implication that those teens who are drunk would be less likely to get behind the wheel of a car and be even more reckless than usual, the proposition that law be changed in this manner seems like a winning combination.\nStemming alcohol abuse problems are best combated with good education. But returning the legal drinking age to one lower than 21 might have positive results in the battle as well. I, for one, have a few friends who would agree with me. But maybe they’re a little biased at the moment – staring at a minor consumption ticket that will cost them more than a pretty penny.