Adrian Lund,

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Adrian Lund, President
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Advocates of the 21 year-old drinking age have
long argued that the decrease in fatalities was a
result of the lowered drinking age but cannot
offer a cause and effect relationship. -www.c
hooseresponsibility.org
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Status Report, April 9, 1974
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Status Report, July 15, 1981
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Status Report, December 18, 1985
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History of U.S. Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA)
Laws
1970s Studies show teen crashes (particularly
nighttime and single vehicle fatal
crashes) increased in states that lowered MLDA
(e.g., Williams et al., 1975 Whitehead et al.,
1975)
21st amendment repealed prohibition most states
set MLDA at 21
Maine and Nebraska lower MLDA to 20 years (1969)
Advocacy groups lobby for 21 MLDA
1970
1933
Michigan restores 21 MLDA (1978)
26th amendment lowers voting age to 18 (1971)
25 states lower MLDA to 18, 19, or 20 from 21
(1970-1975) only 12 had 21 MLDA in 1975
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South Dakota and Wyoming are last to pass 21
MLDA (1988)
22 states pass 21 MLDA, total of 44 states (1985
1986)
1980-1985 Studies show decrease in teen
crashes when MLDA is raised (e.g., Williams et
al., 1983 OMalley et al, 1991)
5 states pass 21 MLDA (1987)
Studies continue on effect enforcement of 21
MLDA
1980
1985
1988
All states have Zero Tolerance Laws (1998)
9 states pass 21 MLDA, total of 22 states by 1984
(1980-1984)
Uniform Drinking Age Act (1984)
1985-current Numerous studies confirm 21 MLDA
reduced teen crashes (e.g., DuMouchel et al.,
1987 GAO, 1987 Shults et al., 2001 Wagenaar
and Toomey, 2002)
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CDC review of evidence regarding interventions to
reduce alcohol-impaired driving Shults et al.,
2001
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I think we should teach young people how to
drink as well as how not to drink. -David J.
Hanson, State University of New York
PARADE Magazine, August 12, 2007
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Status Report, November 30, 1977
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Status Report, June 10, 1980
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Per population crash rates of 16-17 year-oldsIn
Connecticut before and after driver education was
eliminated in some high schools
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Status Report, January 11, 1997
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Status Report, May 12, 1984
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Percent of students with crashes By type of
driver education
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DeKalb County, Georgia test of model driver
education Lund et al., 1986

• Students assigned to SPC were at significantly
  greater hazard of crashing and of receiving
  traffic violations than control students.
• No evidence that SPC reduced the per capita
  likelihood of crashes or violations
• SPC drivers had more crashes and violations
  despite the fact that they were more skilled when
  licensed.
• High school driver education courses do not
  decrease the crashes and violations among
  teenagers as a group.
• Greater availability of drivers education leads
  to earlier licensure which in turn leads to more
  crashes and violations per capita.

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SummaryWhat does the evidence show?

• Lowering the drinking age to 18 would increase
  the number of 18-20 year-olds dying on our
  nations highways
• There is no evidence that drinking education will
  offset these effects
• Evidence from driver education is that we could
  get more drinking teenagers as a result of
  drinking education as licensed teenagers will
  explain that schools have said they know how to
  drink