Very very true! I'll drink to that..legally or illegally

 

I have very mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand when I was underage and out of high school, a group of us would get together at a friend's house just about every weekend. There was one of us that was of age (21) that would secure the beer and we would have jusst a grand old time Everyone waatched out for the others and the standing rule was that if you were sh@t faced, you either stayed the night or someone that had not been drinking would take you home. Therefore, no one was drinking and driving and everyone was safe.

On the other hand, the majority of accident calls that I have been on with my fire department involve a young driver (17-22 years old) In NY, you can get your permit at 16 and I just feel that it takes several years for a person to aquire good driving skills and to add the possibility of alcohol into the mix.....


Here is something else to consider. I don't now how many other states has this law but here it is illegal to be talkiing on a cell phone while driving a vehicle. You are okay if you use a hands free device. Locally back in June, a community lost 5 girls that had just graduated from high school 3 days earlier in a head on SUV / tractor trailer crash. The cause, no one really knows but there is evidence that the driver's cell phone recieved a text message within a minute of the crash. The state lawmakers are considering making it illegal to text while driving because it takes the driver's concentration away.

 

I think if you're responsible, you should be able to drink. 18 is fine for me. Some teenagers are more responsible than adults anyhow.

 

IMO, if the law says its OK to go off to war and die for your country and if the law says its OK to make a baby at age 18, it should be OK to have a beer as well.
Honestly, it doesnt matter much either way. If teenagers wanna drink, they will do it regardless of whether its legal or not.

 

Teenagers hell.... us grownups made speak easys during the prohibition when it was illegal for us too... Didnt stop us either. Only difference is that speak easys where a little classier than the hay fields, river banks and bridges outside of town that we used when I was a teenager.

 

I remember I was caught 3 times by johnny law for underage drinking. ( I got away many many more) All three times I was sentenced to jail. A total of about 15 days or so..........Point is, is that I was thrown in jail for doing something that was legal at a certain age. I heard of people that stole or drove drunk. Two things that are not legal at any age ever. And the city or state gives them a fine and/or community service. Where is the reasoning in that...........
No matter how many times kids are caught underage drinking they are going to continue to do so. Again I say lower the age and see how it goes.

 

Isn't there like a scientific study that says the younger you start drinking the more likely you are to become an alcholic? Either way there are always going to be the responsible crowd and the irresponsible. At the beginning of the summer a kid that graduated a few years before me, so he was about 22 or 23 hit a girl who just graduated from highschool head on. I can't remember if the girls torso or just her head was in the back seat and the kid drunk driving got out of it with a couple broken bones and stuff.

 

And also how many kids do you know that don't drink only because it's illegal?

none

If the legal drinking age was lowered to 18 the same kids that already drink, will drink. And probably 95% of the kids who don't drink, still won't drink. It wouldn't change much other than the fact that I'd be able to go in sweet bars with my friends without using a fake ID.

 

You know... it's funny... when I was younger, like 16-20... I got so drunk once... I mean that by so drunk as in vomiting... but that was only once. I didn't find hugging a toilet all night and morning was any fun.

Now that I am 21... I've got a fridge loaded with beer... but I have like 3 a week... if that. To me now, it's just like any other drink, like soda... I don't go crazy on soda... so I don't go crazy on beer.

 

I know I'll probably hear many of you disagree with me on this, but I think everything should be moved to the age of 21. Drinking, driving, voting and going to war.

 

Keep the age, its not killing any one. Its acutaly saving lives, imagine all the drunk 18, 19 and 20 year olds PLUS the 21+ age group. All of those people on the highway at once.....no way.

 

While the roads would be peaceful without lil textin katie comin at ya, think about how hard it would be on parents to keep driving their kids around to work and school all the time. And what would a 19 year old do about moving off to college? There's no way it would work.

 

Could I beg you to elaborate on the logic of this?

 

I knew you would chime in!

Just saying that I know alot of 18 year olds that are so immature to drive a vehicle let alone to go to war and have to kill people. Don't even know if 3 years would make a difference for some, but I would hope it would. I know my idea is unrealistic but it's just my opinion.

 

Well, the main reason I think 18 is my 18 year old is more mature than a heck of a lot of adults.