College Presidents asking for a lowered drinking age.

[EternalEnigma21]

Yesterday 2 teenagers (both 18) died on RT3 driving too fast. Driving too fast on RT3??? How goddamn fast are you going to lose control on RT3 and hit a tree???

A few years ago my sister was dating a guy who had killed his girlfriend driving too fast. He took a curve with a 35mph advisory speed limit at 70 in a 1985 beamer. What a moron. Killed his 16 year old girlfriend.

No alcohol was involved in either case, these kids just think they're invincible and have no sense. I'd make a minor in posession charge an automatic revokal of driving priveleges until 18 if I were making laws.

[Daseal]

EE21 -- the problem is young drivers are only the second most dangerous driving demographic. The elderly are clear and away the most dangerous drivers on the road. They can't see, they can't hear, and they often drive dangerously slow (and in multiple lanes). We need to rip their licenses away, but that will never happen, they have money to lobby.

Yes, 18 year olds make stupid decesions. Guess what, so do old people. It comes down to experience. If you never let people get experience, they will forever be bad at things. When I started driving, I wasn't very good. I consider myself an excellent driver now. I do drive very fast, but I don't tail gate, I stay in my lane, I use my turn signals, and I turn off my brights (that goes to you assholes following me last night).

You seem to not want to allow people to do anything EE21. As far as guns, I couldn't care less myself. But I don't see why you can buy a rifle drunk and at 17 like me and some buddies did to go skeet shooting, but can't buy a handgun. You can easily kill people with both.

The fact is, people need experience to be able to handle something. The reason you're having kids driving at 16 is so that their PARENTS are there to help them learn and practice. You would really wait till kids are 18 and will be leaving home soon to college/start a life/whatever when they start driving with little to no direction or rules. IE be home by 10.

PS -- Close to you in Rappahannock, a drunk 41 year old just had a girl I went to high school with fly out of his convertible. It's obvious age doesn't mean you're more responsible or smarter. People either make good decisions or bad decisions.

I would be 100% for stiffer penalties for DUI -- however, everything must be determined by blood tests. If I were pulled over stone cold sober, no way I would take a breathalizer. Those things are absolutely terrible in determining actually BAC.

[Miller101]

Originally Posted by EternalEnigma21

Yesterday 2 teenagers (both 18) died on RT3 driving too fast. Driving too fast on RT3??? How goddamn fast are you going to lose control on RT3 and hit a tree???

A few years ago my sister was dating a guy who had killed his girlfriend driving too fast. He took a curve with a 35mph advisory speed limit at 70 in a 1985 beamer. What a moron. Killed his 16 year old girlfriend.

No alcohol was involved in either case, these kids just think they're invincible and have no sense. I'd make a minor in posession charge an automatic revokal of driving priveleges until 18 if I were making laws.

Dude, there is nothing to do for 18 year olds at night. I mean, you can only play so many video games, go to so many movies before it gets boring. So you just drive around and act like complete jackasses. But! If the drinking age was lowered then.............think about it. They wouldn't be driving around like bored jackasses looking for something to do.

[EternalEnigma21]

Nope, they'd be drinking and driving around like jackasses. Awesome. I just think having younger sisters and seeing them and their friends at those ages... I never really realized how stupid teenagers are as a whole.

[EternalEnigma21]

As far as the argument that kids should get experience at home... Kids usually graduate at 18... Making the drinking age 18 would simply put one more thing on an 18yr olds plate that they don't need, and the college bound kids would still be brand new to drinking away from home.

And I certainly don't get the assumption that if alcohol is legal there won't be ridiculous house parties and all these kids will hang out at bars, or that that would even be a good thing.

I'm 28 and I still go to parties. Hell I host them from time to time, keg stands and all... The difference is now I don't drive drunk (you bet I did when I was younger) and don't invite stupid people. People tend to make more responsible decisions as they mature. They mature as they get older.

I'd honestly rather there be no restrictions at all. It would have a better effect than an 18yr old age. I see the logic, but the 18yr old age limit would not have the desired effect.

[GhettoDogAllStars]

I live one block from the Colorado State University campus. Everyone on my block is a student -- no families, nothing. Almost every single night these kids party, making all kinds of noise, and doing all kinds of stupid stuff. Let me give you some examples:

One time, a firecracker was set off inside a house across the street from me. Smoke was pouring out of the house, and the smoke detectors were going off.

Another time, some different kids across the street were just throwing bottles into the air and smashing them in the parking lot next to their house.

Another time, some girls got into a fight in my yard around 2am.

Yet another time, some asshole hit my truck parked in the street and sped away.

Once, my roommate saw 3 or 4 kids hanging from a very small tree in my neighbor's yard, bending it all the way over and trying to break it.

On Halloween, I have to practically guard my pumpkins with my life. I tell you, if anybody tries to smash my pumpkins on my porch, I will smash their head. No, seriously. Don't come onto my property and destroy stuff, and make a mess. You'll pay for it if you do.

These fuckers always throw trash wherever they please. I have woken up many times to see several beer bottles in my yard -- inside the fence! Fucking assholes just throwing trash over my fence into my yard. Unfortunately, I haven't caught anyone doing it. But, when I do, there will be hell to pay. I will go ape-shit on these stupid fucking kids.

I'm willing to bet that very few of these kids are old enough to drink. This is the kind of shit stupid kids do. They don't care about ANYTHING. They have NO respect and NO responsibility. I can't believe we're talking about giving them more rights and privileges -- they don't deserve ANY.

If I had my way, I'd lock them all up in jail. I certainly wouldn't be letting them drink legally. Hell, I'd revoke their drinking privilege for good. These kids are worthless pieces of shit. Fuck them. They can all die, for all I care. The world would be better off.

[BDBohnzie]

While I don't agree with the argument of lowering the drinking age to 18, if that is the case and it does happen, I'd hope people would be smart enough to keep the age of getting into bars at 21...

[firstdown]

Well I read an article which had several stats and they all show that raising the age did help with kids and drinking. I'll see if I can find the article but if what I read was correct it shows that these 100 college presidents did not do any reaserch before writing this letter.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by Miller101

Dude, there is nothing to do for 18 year olds at night. I mean, you can only play so many video games, go to so many movies before it gets boring. So you just drive around and act like complete jackasses. But! If the drinking age was lowered then.............think about it. They wouldn't be driving around like bored jackasses looking for something to do.

No, they would be driving around like drunk jackasses.

Saying there is nothing to do is ignorant. There is always something to do. Go bowling, go rent a movie, go to the movies, how about study (if in school)? Come on man...that was not a wise comment. You are basically saying "Well, nothing to do, might as well get drunk and do stupid shit!"

[EternalEnigma21]

or get laid. if you can't convince a girl you know to do it, just use all that money you'd be using on booze to get a hooker on craigslist.

[GTripp0012]

It always seemed weird to me to give kids driving privileges before drinking privileges. Intuitively, that seems backwards.

You want to fix drunk driving? Take away the driving part.

21 is a pretty ridiculous age for drinking being "legalized." When I was 17 or 18, I had no desire at all to drink. Nowadays (I'm 20), I do drink sometimes, but I never, ever, ever, ever get behind the wheel of a car, even on the same day as one I've consumed alcohol. Trust me, no one in the world thinks that my drinking habits are a contributing problem to society.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

It always seemed weird to me to give kids driving privileges before drinking privileges. Intuitively, that seems backwards.

You want to fix drunk driving? Take away the driving part.

21 is a pretty ridiculous age for drinking being "legalized." When I was 17 or 18, I had no desire at all to drink. Nowadays (I'm 20), I do drink sometimes, but I never, ever, ever, ever get behind the wheel of a car, even on the same day as one I've consumed alcohol. Trust me, no one in the world thinks that my drinking habits are a contributing problem to society.

The way you are sounding is like you're saying all kids under 21 are being responsible like you are. I certainly hope you are not equating what you are doing, and what millions upon millions of teenagers are doing.