The "National" Drinking Age, pt. 1: Does 21 work?

As Vermont is poised to debate lowering their minimum drinking age to 21, it seems salient to address the history of our “national” drinking age.

How did the national drinking age become 21?

For approximately forty years after the repeal of Prohibition, states had effectively managed their own minimum drinking ages, ranging from 18 to 21. During the height of the Vietnam War, however, 29 states lowered their drinking ages to conform to the enlistment age of 18. After all, if one is an adult legally endowed with the right to vote and the potential to be drafted into military service, surely one is mature enough to make responsible decisions about one’s alcohol consumption.

As some states began to see an increase in drunken driving traffic fatalities, they began returning their drinking ages to 19, 20 and 21. The resulting “blood borders,” a reference to alcohol related traffic fatalities resulting from young adult crossing state borders to drink legally, became a cause for concern.

In 1982 President Reagan established the Presidential Commission against Drunk Driving in an effort to heighten awareness about drunk driving and develop solutions to a perceived drunk driving epidemic. Attempting to decrease alcohol related traffic fatalities, the Commission made 39 recommendations, among them, setting both a national minimum age to purchase alcohol and raising the national drinking age to 21.

The right to regulate both of these behaviors lies firmly within the purview of the states, so to gain compliance, the federal government threatened to withhold 10% of the federal highway funds for any state that failed to set these national standards. While the purpose of the commission, and the legislation, was to decrease adult alcohol related traffic fatalities, the focus has been disproportionately aimed at young adults. Furthermore, by emphasizing the minimum legal drinking age, the other 38 recommendations of the commission, which focused on education and increasing the penalties for drunk driving, were marginalized. In 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age Act took effect with the last state, Wyoming, signing on in 1988.

Why 21?

Presumably the national drinking age was set at 21 due to the relative inexperience of young adults both with driving and consumption of alcohol. Those between the ages of 18 and 21 have relatively few years of driving experience. As a result they are more prone to traffic accidents of any kind; add alcohol to the scenario and the potential for accident only increases.

One would think this volatile combination, minimal experience with both driving and alcohol consumption, would make them the age group most likely to be involved in fatal alcohol related crashes. While it is true that younger groups are at higher risk for such fatalities, the statistics do not indicate they are the highest risk group. According to data compiled by the CDC,

among drivers with BAC levels of 0.08 % or higher involved in fatal crashes in 2008, more than one out of every 3 were between 21 and 24 years of age (34%). The next two largest groups were ages 25 to 34 (31%) and 35 to 44 (25%).

It’s interesting to note that the age group most likely to be involved in a fatal traffic related alcohol crash is not under 21 but those legally able to purchase and consume alcohol. In fact the under 21 crowd isn’t even represented here. According to these statistics, 90% of fatal drunk driving accidents are the result of drinking by adults aged 21-44.

Meridith Spencer is an adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology at Bridgewater State College and Fisher College and an advocate for public policy that is “smart on crime.” She can be reached at meras28@gmail.com or followed at www.twitter.com/smartoncrime .

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