Alcohol is extremely prevalent in today's society, particularly throughout the college community. While living on a college campus, students are exposed to alcohol almost on a daily basis, and during the weekends the site of alcohol hardly can escape one's eyes. Due to the many responsibilities these students are expected to uphold as young adults they should also be able to legally drink alcohol. Some of the responsibilities and privileges young adults possess include defending the country, voting, the right to own guns, and the ability to purchase tobacco. Due to one's ability to fulfill such roles as an adult that individual of eighteen years of age should legally be able to drink alcohol. Currently in the United States the legal age to consume alcohol is twenty-one, however due to the responsibilities and privileges given to young adults Congress should reduce the legal drinking age to eighteen.
The main reason 18 year old young adults are unable to drink is for fear of drunk driving. An estimated 17,419 people die in alcohol related crashes every year. If the legal age is lowered to 18, there would be more drivers on the road and the chances for intoxication in those drivers would increase. Drunk driving not only puts the driver in danger, it puts others in the car and other drivers on the road in danger also. Alcohol fatalities hurt those involved in the crash and their families. By keeping the legal age at 21, it gives inexperienced drivers a few more years to gain experience on the road.
However a person of legal age is able to go to a bar drink, and then drive home. What would be the difference in an eighteen year old going to a bar and drinking and a 21 year old going to a bar and drinking? Persons of 18 and persons of 21 have almost identical responsibilities. A number of 18 and 21 year olds are students, with jobs who share the exact same responsibilities such as voting and going to war.