Issue date: 9/2/08 Section: Opinion

While I don't buy that a reduced drinking age would bring about a significant spike in alcohol-related fatalities on the highways and byways of America, further research is always warranted when innocent lives are at stake. I do buy that an individual between the ages of 18 and 21 who had legally consumed a few drinks is far more likely to call a friend, mother or father for a ride home than one in the same demographic who is terrified of being arrested. In my safe, suburban hometown, members of local law enforcement agencies had little to do other than issue speeding citations and sniff out parties. When word surfaced cops were approaching, the response was more often than not to avoid a confrontation at any costs. Regrettably for some individuals, this meant driving under the influence.

In this election year, some conservatives speak of their desire to overturn the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. But the issue that will prove to have a more immediate impact upon the lives of college students is the debate swirling around the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. It's a debate that should concern Americans young and old, drinking and non-drinking.



-opinion@thedepauw.com

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