Letter: Lowering the drinking age would be a mistake

I have been following with concern the recent debate regarding the 21-year-old drinking age, which has most recently been in the spotlight because of a group of college presidents' proposal to discuss whether to reduce it to 18.

None of the arguments in favor of reducing the drinking age are new that I'm aware of, with the exception of this new theory that the current legal drinking age contributes to binge drinking.

On the face of it, some of these arguments in favor of lowering the drinking age appear to have merit: if you're old enough to go to war then you should be allowed to drink, if you can vote at age 18, then you're supposedly mature enough to drink responsibly, etc.

I don't dismiss any of these arguments lightly.

However, when I consider the larger picture, there are ample and justifiable reasons to maintain the status quo. For one thing, the teenage brain is not fully developed physiologically; consequently, alcohol more negatively affects them.

This is compounded because teenagers are at an age of high risk taking behavior.

I also have firsthand experience because when I was a teenager the drinking age was 18 and I clearly remember how irresponsibly alcohol was used by people in my age group.

I've also witnessed a tremendous amount of youth alcohol-related problems in my 23-year career as a state trooper.

When I look at the 18- to 20-year-old people I know now (my own children included), many of whom are well behaved and reasonably responsible, it is my opinion that many, if not most, of them would not drink responsibly either, potentially resulting in a host of negative problems.

I also believe that reducing the legal drinking age would result in an increase in drinking by those under 18, because an 18- to 20-year-old is much more likely to share with their younger siblings or friends, again in my opinion and experience.

Most importantly, however, is the fact that I have witnessed firsthand the tragedy that a family must endure because of a drunk driving crash or some other alcohol-related incident.

I have seen enough statistics to know that increasing the drinking age to 21 in the first place was a good idea.

In fact, following the increase in drinking age in New York in 1986, impaired driving-related traffic fatalities and injuries dropped significantly.

I am convinced that we would experience the reverse if the drinking age was lowered.

Daniel Larkin
Saratoga Springs

©The Saratogian 2008

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