Drinking Age

Alcohol-related crashes in the U.S. that resulted in death have fallen significantly in the last 20 years, with the largest decreases involving drivers under age 21, federal health officials said Thursday. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fatal crashes in which drivers had blood alcohol levels of 0.01% or greater fell 46% among all ages from 1982 to 2001. The agency credited stricter drunken driving laws and driver licensing programs, among other factors.

Much to my dismay, "AIDS Scare at Tiny College Shakes Town" (April 30) basically put the blame on the community for the actions of one person. Huron, S.D., is a small town, but anyone who has actually been here would know right away that there are not farm machinery outlets up and down the town. There are places for the people who are of drinking age to go to besides the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars clubs. The community of Huron is strong, and it will make it through this problem.

It's imperative that the exploration of ephedrine in dietary supplements continue. Athletes who are tempted to use such products need to know the risks. But lost in the examination of such products as Ultimate Orange, Ultimate Punch and Xenadrine is the failure to focus attention on the dangers of teenagers experimenting with products like Jack Daniels, Miller Lite and Budweiser. Alcohol, not dietary supplements, kills, maims and ruins the lives of young people by the thousands.

Re "Deaths in Teenage Drivers' Cars Drop," Aug. 11: I think this article presents some evidence that the driving age should actually be lowered from 15 to 12. By lowering the driving age to 12, a person could receive over three years of driving instruction under the watchful eye of an experienced driver before driving solo. By the time this person reaches 19 years of age, he or she will have matured to the point of a 21-year-old who started driving at 19. This leads to my second point, which is the drinking age. A person begins adult life somewhere around 12 and is a full adult by the time he or she is 18. This is, after all, the age at which you can fight and die for your country.

MARINA BROCKWAY 18, Westwood Not all 18-year-olds are able to handle alcohol. But I don't think the law is necessarily working. It is easy to get alcohol if you are underage. You either know people who are 21 or you tap people on the shoulder in front of a liquor store and ask them to buy for you. When you're 18, you are considered an adult in many regards. At 18, you can join the Army and be given weapons training and the responsibility of protecting your country.

Re "Dad Slinks Off Into Silence on Alcohol," Commentary, June 5: It has been argued that lowering the legal drinking age to 18 is the best solution for the problem of 18-to 20-year-olds caught drinking illegally. While this may be true, the number of 15-to 17-year-olds who drink illegally would probably rise. Underage drinking is a symptom of one major problem that causes many of today's troubles, and that is lack of parenting. Often Mom and Dad work two jobs to get by and are lucky to have one day off work per week, luckier still if they get the same day off. When they leave early in the morning and get home late at night, when the children see more of the television than they do of their parents, we're going to have problems.

I believe the federal drinking age of 21 is damaging to the morality of young people because unreasonable laws cause disrespect for the law in general. My suspicions of this were confirmed by the revelation of the large-scale use of fake IDs ("Cat-and-Mouse Game Gets Tougher," Nov. 21). The drinking age should be lowered to 18--the same age when kids can leave home, vote, join the military, etc. It's ironic that, despite having such a low drinking age, we suffer from more teenage drinking problems than other countries where teenage drinking is legal.

The drinking age fell back to 18 when the state Supreme Court struck down laws that made it illegal for people younger than 21 to buy or consume alcohol. The 4-3 ruling, effective immediately, makes Louisiana the only state with a drinking age under 21. Word of the change spread quickly. Bourbon Street bars, full of students in New Orleans for a college basketball tournament, put up signs saying 18- , 19- and 20-year-olds could buy and drink booze.

Whether or not to serve alcoholic beverages to underage travelers generally involves a judgment call on the part of the staffs and crews of hotels, airlines and cruise ships. In most cases, obtaining alcoholic beverages while traveling is easy. Cruise passengers and hotel guests can generally just sign their cabin or room number after being served. In addition, room service may be available, and hotels frequently have mini-bars that stock alcoholic beverages.