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A higher drinking age has been shown to lower drunk driving fatalities. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20080702/age-21-drinking-laws-cut-traffic-deaths h

A higher drinking age has been shown to lower drunk driving fatalities. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20080702/age-21-drinking-laws-cut-traffic-deaths https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20080702/age-21-drinkin...

dagenix 7y ago
There are a number of red flags with that article: * It uses the words "strong" and "tough" a lot - which really means nothing but sure sounds good. * It endorses taking away the driver's license of someone caught with a fake id - without paying any thought to what that does to their life. Some kid that takes an Uber to a bar and is caught with a fake id on Saturday now can't drive to his job on Monday. This is messed up and almost certainly impacts lower income populations more than higher income ones. * The article specifically cites a "news release". The whole article is a summary of a press release of a study. * The study was conducted by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), which describes itself as: "PIRE was founded as a 501(c)(3) organization in San Francisco, CA, in 1974, when a group of allied scientists were among the first to recognize the dangers inherent in the emergence of widespread drug use. PIRE developed and disseminated some of the earliest prevention strategies." This seems like a low quality article summarizing a press release from an organization with a clear bias. I can't speak to the quality of the study itself (although, due to how PIRE describes its founding, I'm suspicious), but the article isn't worth citing.
hrktb 7y ago
Drunk driving fatalities is only a part of the whole picture though. For instance liver disease deaths were decreasing until 2008 [1] Would/was lowering the drinking age have an impact ? I don’t know, but I just think there are wide and long term effects on these decisions, and judging by a single metric would not be fair. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/07/18/alcohol-related-liver-deaths-have-increased-sharply/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1ac28350f6a7 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/0...

dagenix 7y ago

There are a number of red flags with that article: * It uses the words "strong" and "tough" a lot - which really means nothing but sure sounds good. * It endorses taking away the driver's license of someone caught with a fake id - without paying any thought to what that does to their life. Some kid that takes an Uber to a bar and is caught with a fake id on Saturday now can't drive to his job on Monday. This is messed up and almost certainly impacts lower income populations more than higher income ones. * The article specifically cites a "news release". The whole article is a summary of a press release of a study. * The study was conducted by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), which describes itself as: "PIRE was founded as a 501(c)(3) organization in San Francisco, CA, in 1974, when a group of allied scientists were among the first to recognize the dangers inherent in the emergence of widespread drug use. PIRE developed and disseminated some of the earliest prevention strategies." This seems like a low quality article summarizing a press release from an organization with a clear bias. I can't speak to the quality of the study itself (although, due to how PIRE describes its founding, I'm suspicious), but the article isn't worth citing.

hrktb 7y ago

Drunk driving fatalities is only a part of the whole picture though. For instance liver disease deaths were decreasing until 2008 [1] Would/was lowering the drinking age have an impact ? I don’t know, but I just think there are wide and long term effects on these decisions, and judging by a single metric would not be fair. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/07/18/alcohol-related-liver-deaths-have-increased-sharply/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1ac28350f6a7 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/0...