The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 set the drinking age to twenty-one, and has been in controversy ever since its inception. The main argument presented by supporters of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 was that raising the drinking age would greatly reduce the number of alcohol related car accidents each year, especially in the age range of eighteen to twenty. Since the drinking age has been raised to twenty-one the rate of alcohol involvement in car accidents has fallen slightly at about four percent in this age group. The number of alcohol related car accidents has, however, risen about the same amount in the twenty-one to twenty-four year old age range. Clearly this new age limit has not been too effective. The national minimum drinking age in the United States needs to be lowered to at least eighteen because at the age of eighteen a citizen is legally considered responsible by the government; the minimum age of twenty-one is not preventing the consumption of alcohol by minors, and if societies with lower or no minimum drinking age are examined there are far fewer problems with alcohol abuse.