Does a drinking age of 21 actually save lives? Despite the fact that some ignore the legal drinking age, it turns out that the law actually helps prevent deaths from alcohol consumption.
"I really wanted the public to know the evidence in support of the law is overwhelming," said William DeJong, one of the researchers, in an interview with The Boston Herald. "This debate really should be declared over."
The drinking age in the United States has been debated in recent years. Some groups have actually attempted to have it lowered; one argument for it is that many young people actually break the law and drink anyway. That said, this new study may show that having a drinking age of 21 is the right thing to do.
The researchers examined studies conducted since 2006. In the end, they found that a minimum drinking age of 21 is associated with a reduced rate of drunk driving crashes, according to Health Day. In addition, the age also lowers a younger person's risk of other health threats associated with heavy drinking; this includes dating violence, unsafe sex and suicide.
Over the past two decades, teen drinking and driving rates have dropped, according to LiveScience.com. The biggest drops were actually seen between 1982 and 1995, a period which included the law change that pushed all states to increase their drinking age to 21.
"Clinical trials have found that when college town puts more effort into enforcing the law-and advertise that fact to students-student drinking declines," said DeJong in an interview with LiveScience.com. "Some people assume that students are so hell-bent on drinking, nothing can stop them. But it really is the case that enforcement works."
The findings reveal that lowering the drinking age may not be the wisest course of action. Instead, leaving it at 21 could help continue to prevent deaths across the nation.
