drinking age in the U.S.

Drinking from age 21 on until your blood is pure alcohol or you're dead ought to be good enough for most people.

yeah, kids are going to do what kids do anyway, and drink younger than that: 18, 17, 15 on down even - but I see no advantage in making it even easier for them.

Yes kids are going to drink anyway. The big problem,
and why it didn't work in MI and elsewhere, is the
bar and club situation. The kids would get shitfaced
because they had no experience and die in drunk
driving accidents every day. Insurance rates skyrocketed
fro everybody. Its irresponsible to let 18 year old's
drink in bars and clubs, it'll never pass.

The problem would appear to be letting people get shit faced drunk and drive.

18 years olds drink in pubs and clubs in the UK, and most of Europe. I suspect the big difference is that old thing we've talked about before... public transit (and probably town density). There's less need to drive to a drinking establishment over there.

Though almost certainly, the number of Drink related accidents would fall in the UK if the drinking age was raised to 21... but it wouldn't be a massive change. Attitudes to drink driving are different there as well.

Quote: thecesspit

The problem would appear to be letting people get shit faced drunk and drive.

I owned a bar, its not that easy to tell if someone
is too drunk to drive. And if you've got 18yr old
kids who can get shitfaced on 3 beers, its impossible.

Quote: EvenBob

I owned a bar, its not that easy to tell if someone
is too drunk to drive. And if you've got 18yr old
kids who can get shitfaced on 3 beers, its impossible.

You've been drinking - you shouldn't drive. It's really that simple. People will piss and moan and tell me "I'm okay after one" or "It's been a while since I had my last one". Whatever, either be the designated driver, or everyone gets a cab/bus/walks home. Don't be the dink who "thought he was alright", and then runs into the back of someone due to reaction times being dulled.

It's really quite simple. I also don't think it's necessarily the bar owner's job to police it, but I have no idea what the legal responsibility IS for a bar owner down there.

Drink driving numbers drop when there's a social stigma to being the arsehole who drink drives. Law enforcement helps, but peer group pressure works the best. I don't know the the 18-21 culture in the US. I'll take your word for it a drop in the drinking age won't work.

I'm just saying 18 year olds drink in the UK and Europe and it works fine.