...Should teenagers be allowed to drink just because they turn eighteen and is now considered as an adults? No, they shouldnt even though they’re legal adults. According to Huffingtonpost.com, keeping legal drinking age at twenty one save 900 lives yearly. the drinking age should not be lowered to eighteen for many reasons. At eighteen, teenagers are not mentally mature. Unlike adults, teenagers drink just to fit in or just for the fun of it. Drinking at a young age is not healthy for teenagers at such a young age, because by the time they’re are twenty one they’re already alcoholics. When thinking about lowering the drinking age, you have to put the poor choices that would be made by an intoxicated teen in perspective. Such as, dropping out of school, laziness, violent behavior, and drunk driving. To no surprise, too much alcohol can slow down a person’s ability to think, react, and make decisions at the current moment. One important and deadly impact drinking can have on teenagers drinking at an early age is drunk driving. On average, two in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime. According to huffingtonpost.com, every day in America another twenty eight people die as a result of drunk driving. If the drinking age is lowered to eighteen it would do nothing to decrease those numbers, it will only increase the death rate. In conclusion, we can clearly see that underage drinking is not a good thing, and should be avoided for the sake of lives. As...
Words: 304 - Pages: 2
...Binge drinking is a term meaning lots of alcohol consumed in a short period of time. For males binge drinking is considered five or more drinks within a few hours; for females it is considered four or more drinks consumed in a few hours. Binge drinking is a way to get intoxicated a lot faster, but can also cause serious injuries. “Drinking alcohol can cause kids to have accidents and get hurt. In 2011 alone, about 188,000 people under age 21 visited an emergency room for alcohol-related injuries” (6). Injuries from alcohol can be anywhere from burns and falls to even death. It has been proven by many studies that while skills and communication increase hazardous behavior begins to decrease. To prevent hazardous behavior, it is advised that on a single occasion to have no more than four drinks to reduce the risk of an injury or...
Words: 1433 - Pages: 6
...To Prevent Unnecessary Distractive Driving Banning the use of cell phones should be made mandatory nationwide while driving because it is a one of the nations’ top killers in America. Driving while being distracted kills thousands of people every year. Yet many drivers think they are good at managing both tasks so they continue to text behind the wheel. A car travels approximately 100 yards in less than the 5 seconds it takes to read a text. Texting distracts people from driving properly by diverting their attention to their cell phone, instead of focusing on the road. Furthermore, studies show that texting is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Subjects are found to be mentally impaired while driving and chatting on a mobile device as when they are under the influence. These are the top reasons why I believe and am convinced that driving while on a cell phone should be banned in America. Cell Phone Usage as Top Killer in America National statistics show that cell phone usage while driving has become one of the nation’s top killers on our roadways today. According to the Texting and Driving Safety Statistics an average of 1,600,000 accidents are reported each year due to texting while driving. Nearly 25 percent of all accidents nationwide, 11 percent of which are teenagers ages 15-19, occur on a daily basis. (Texting and Driving Safety, 2010) Approximately 3,331 people died in 2011 in accidents related to distracted driving. The number of deaths dropped slightly...
Words: 1305 - Pages: 6
...of drunkenness and more on the tenuous concept that adults can drink properly but youths cannot or should not" (Males 190). This lead to much discussion over the drinking age and the debate will go on for years to come. Throughout this debate, it lead to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which lowered the United States drinking age to eighteen. After this act was passed there was much controversy and soon after the drinking age would go back to twenty one. The states had to follow this statement "All States to raise their minimum drinking age to 21 within 2 years or lose a portion of their Federal-aid highway funds; and encourage States, through incentive grants programs, to pass mandatory sentencing laws to combat drunk driving." (Senate Record...
Words: 4715 - Pages: 19
...Texting While Driving The number one leading cause of teenage driving deaths and crashes is texting while driving. Texting while driving is teenagers’ number one driving distraction (Cell Phone). Texting while driving has not really been a big concern until recently. Law enforcement have realized that the percentage of texting and driving accident have risen over the past years. Texting while driving has been getting ignored but now it’s time to bring it to the light to save some lives. Texting while driving is the #1 wrong thing to do while driving than anything else (Cell Phone). Teenagers do not realize how dangerous texting and driving is; it can cause injuries, distractions, and even deaths. Texting while driving is a growing trend, and a national epidemic, quickly becoming one of the country’s top killers (Distracted Driving Laws). Every year there are one million six hundred thousand, accidents per year and of those accidents there are three hundred thirsty thousand, injuries per year (Distracted Driving Laws). Eleven teen deaths every day due to texting while driving (Distracted Driving Laws). Nearly twenty-five percent of all car accidents are due texting while driving (Distracted Driving Laws). Texting while driving is about six times more likely to cause an accident than driving intoxicated (Distracted Driving Laws). Texting while driving is the same as driving after four beers (Distracted Driving Laws). Texting while driving takes away your attention for five seconds...
Words: 943 - Pages: 4
...as hundreds from other injuries (NIAA). In today’s society we are presented with a real epidemic, underage drinking. As children grow older they are brought into different environments where they are presented with different obligations. Children bring alcohol into their lives to be cool or to fit in, but dying of alcohol poisoning leaves young people to fit into which group? Teenagers begin drinking as early as middle school or even sooner. (NLM) It is said that teens who drink are more likely to be victims of violent crimes. They are more likely to have serious problems in school. They are more likely to be involved in drinking and driving accidents. Children who start drinking young are also more likely to develop problems with alcohol later in life. With such a huge epidemic in underage drinking, why would law makers want to lower the legal age? Throughout the United States, most seventeen year olds receive their drivers’ license. Seventeen year olds are still in high school and still testing different waters; some of the “water” is alcohol. It is hard to believe, but 70 percent of all teenagers drink alcohol, and 60 percent of all teen deaths in car accidents are alcohol-related (Eagle). Most parents want to believe that when they hand their children the keys to the car, they won’t drink and drive. Many teens get "pulled in" by the overwhelming pressure to drink. In most cases, the driver does not realistically consider the consequences of his or her drinking and then...
Words: 2193 - Pages: 9
...Underage Drinking There are a number of reasons why teenagers feel the urge to drink. Social environment, peer influence, stresses, and even reasons such as media influence associate with underage drinking. Peer pressure is a powerful predictor of alcohol use among teens. Americans have a very strong urge to be accepted and liked by their peers. Everyone wants to feel a sense of belonging. Many adolescents feel that they need to drink alcohol to gain this acceptance by the others around them. Stress is also another reason why teens may feel apt to drink alcohol. Stress causes teenagers to look for a quick escape from the problems, which they face, in their day-to-day lives. This quick escape can be found in the shape of a bottle. In the eyes of an underage drinker, alcohol is the cure to all problems, a way to forget all of stress and pressures that are facing them. They feel that it will numb their pain and continuing to use alcohol will result in maybe another problem, substance abuse. Popularity shouldn’t come along with breaking the law. Also, the cure to the problems in someone’s life isn’t breaking the law, because the affects alcohol has on the body causes a lot more issues down the road. Alcohol use is extremely common in our society. Young ones grow up watching their parents drink, at special occasions, as well as casually enjoying a few beers at a picnic. Now a day’s kids and young adults are surrounded by the use of alcohol on a daily basis. Underage...
Words: 1416 - Pages: 6
...Dinking? 18 or 21? Amethyst Initiative is a proposal to consider lowering legal drinking age to 18. Some 130 universities have signed on to the initiative. UVa has not. “The initiative has triggered a backlash of criticism from health experts, transportation officials, government leaders, and opponents of drunken driving.” (Nancy) I think lowering drinking age will cause more problems. Because Lowering-drinking age to 18 not only let teenagers even younger than 18 will get alcohol, but also raises the number of drunk-driving accidents. We also cannot ignore this action will increase the number of problem cause by alcohol. All those things happen in our daily life and warning us that drinking age should not be lowered to 18. Lower drinking age is just like give the group of underage drinking teenagers official IDs instead of fake ones. And they will become much more reckless, even those one who used to care about the law so didn’t drink will soon become drunk. “A study done in 2003-4 at Johns Hopkins tested the incidence of binge drinking (as that term is defined in the Wechsler studies) in the age group just below the legal age in various countries. David Jernigan, who directed the study, used Wechsler’s survey methods to quantify the percentage of 16-18 year-olds who reported having become seriously drunk during the 30 days prior to their taking the survey. The evidence is being construed as proof that no matter what the legal age, persons just below it are disposed to...
Words: 1290 - Pages: 6
...English 1023 17 May 2013 Argumentative Research Essay: Teen Drinking Have you ever really considered the consequences of binge drinking regularly while in college or even high school? It may seem harmless and most people only think it is a one night affair. I believe that most people honestly do not know that these decisions can affect them for the rest of their lives. I have seen several of my friends of all different ages make bad decisions in their lives and a lot of can be traced back to decisions involved with the use of alcohol. Going out and binge drinking often can lead to a numerous of bad decisions. Alcohol use and teens can lead to developing bad habits, poor health, risky behaviors, criminal acts, unwanted injuries, and unwanted sexual contact. One of the main reason that younger people believe that is acceptable to drink under age is they believe that it will only affect them for one night. In all reality that is not true. As you will see laid out in this essay I will show my readers several viewpoints of why it is a bad long term decision. People drink early on to feel like they are a part of a group of being popular. Drinking does not make anyone popular. Young people just need to ask themselves what is the right thing to do. Popularity will come on its own. Starting to drink heavily can really have a bad effect on your health. When my father was around my age, he and his friends used to drink heavily a lot, all the time. I have met several of my father’s...
Words: 1605 - Pages: 7
...of an alcoholic’s life. Gabriel Adams points out that alcoholism can affect a person physically, economically, socially and possibly even have legal consequences. Adam says “alcohol can affect body parts such as the liver and cause heart disease which eventually can lead to death”. Also, for economics, an alcoholic can loose his or her job and struggle with financial issues because of the lack of job and spending all their money on the booze. People who have been alcoholics for a long time usually find themselves alone because people do not want to deal with their childish behavior, marriage and financial problems. Finally, Adams says getting into legal trouble is big for alcoholics because of either their conduct in public while intoxicated or because of drunk...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...Unfortunately that trust is often in many cases. Teen driving while intoxicated is one of the worst causes of deaths, in the young of the community. The causes are many, a parental figure that was not there when the child was younger, in the more formative stages of their life. A bad parental figure, which has shown the young drivers, that while there are rules, they teach that the rules do not apply to everyone. And young adults, who have just entered the college setting. Instead of concentrating on learning, to advance their education, they concentrate on the social aspects of college, fitting in, and trying to be socially acceptable. This has a significant chance to lead to the “rowdier” lifestyle, which can lead to the more socially acceptable, but illegal choices. According to Shelia Sarkar, and Marie Andreas, on a poll done with 1430 teen drivers, 880 of the teen drivers had traffic violations, which included speeding, drag racing, and driving under the influence. Younger drivers are more likely to overestimate their driving skills, especially young male drivers. When a driver overestimates their driving skills, they tend to be more agreeable to the riskier, and even lethal behaviors. Driving while under the influence is one of the more dangerous behaviors at any age, but especially for a teen driver who does not have the experience that an older driver does. It has been proven that those teen drivers, who were exposed to drunk driving, have a much higher chance of actually practicing...
Words: 843 - Pages: 4
...Texting and Driving Drivers should not be able to use their cell phones when driving a motor vehicle because it is dangerous for the driver and others who are driving as well. The use of cell phones takes the driver's attention off the road. They should not be used while driving because it jeopardizes the driver’s life along with pedestrians and others on the road. Texting and driving causes fatal wrecks, is a leading cause of death among teens, and is illegal in most states. The usage of cells phones can cause wrecks and are often fatal. Those who partake in texting and driving are endangering others as well as themselves. Texting causes late, delayed reactions. Drivers need all of their senses, such as hearing and sight, to drive. Studies have proven that texting and driving puts the driver at a four time’s greater risk of crash. Texting and driving causes loss of concentration and one single mistake can lead to injury and even be fatal. If the driver of a motor vehicle closes his eyes for five seconds, going at a speed of 55, the driver would have traveled the length of a football field without looking at the road. Even though texting makes communication fast and easy, it should not be used when driving. Texting and driving is the leading cause of death among teenagers. Almost fifty percent of teens admit to texting and driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting and driving is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated...
Words: 607 - Pages: 3
...Intent Driving under the influence has been a troublesome thing for everyone; especially the younger ages being 16 to 25 year old die more and or get DWI (driving while intoxicated) Texas Department Of Public safety has announced that there have been more deaths of alcohol than any other disaster that has happened over the years this being, tornados, volcano’s, etc.…. I Wish to tell you and others the major consequences that have came from drinking and driving and hope to influence you to not do so because the outcome can be very dangerous and something that will stay with you for as long as you live this I promise you. In most countries, anyone who is convicted of injuring or killing someone while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs can be heavily fined in addition to being given a prison sentence. DUI and alcohol-related crashes produce an estimated $45 billion in damages every year. The first person to be arrested for drunk driving was one George Smith, a London taxi driver who ran his cab into a vehicle in 1897. In many cases when a driver is drunk there mind is not all there and they are slow and may have a reaction time up to 3 times slower than what they are originally are these people are careless and I believe should be removed from the world not death just serious punishment, these menaces have killed more than 12,000 people a year these being adults, teenagers, senior citizens...
Words: 298 - Pages: 2
...Underage madness Have you ever been to a liquor store and you are on your way to a wonderful evening of relaxation, then out of nowhere you are bombarded by a complete stranger asking you to buy them a beer? I know I have, my initial response to that individual would be “might I ask how old you are?” Then from this point you might hear a series of excuses or lies about the situation until they realize that they are getting nowhere with you and move on to the next target. What did you do in this case? Did you attempt to scare that individual, or did you just mosey on about your business? According to the CDC 11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States is consumed by children and young adults between the ages of 12-20. More than 90 percent of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinking. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, about 5,000 kids under 21 die every year as a result of underage drinking – from crashes, homicides, and suicides. Teens that drink also are at risk for a long list of other injuries and potential life-long alcohol abuse. Reducing underage drinking can reduce drinking-related harm This problem is important to not only me as a parent but also to you as a driver on the street. Underage drinking is a rapidly growing problem that causes homicides, suicides and public intoxication. We need to put into play harsher punishments for underage drinking and aiding in underage drinking in order to prevent this problem from spreading. We can...
Words: 1496 - Pages: 6
...Cell Phone Use While Driving The new technology of cell phones has helped advance the world in which we live. There are over 100 million people in the United States that have and use cell phones. Driver distraction due to cell phone usage is a plague that is causing more and more car accidents every year. People quickly forget that driving is a privilege and not a right. What are different states doing about it? Should it be a concern of ours? Did you know that car crashes are the leading cause of death in the U.S.? The statistics of car accidents due to cell phone usage is a hot topic for lawmakers, cell phone manufacturers, and concerned citizens. A study by the National Safety Council found that 8 out of 10 people use their cell phones while driving and that 1 out of 5 text while driving. Cell phones are a factor in six percent of all car crashes which equates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths. These are shocking statistics that easily can be prevented by refusing to use your phone while driving. Research done by the Iowa Civic Analysis Network said, “National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that distracted driving contributes to 25% of all police-reported traffic accidents. The most common distraction is cell phone use, which increases the likelihood of an accident by approximately 300%.” One of our problems as Americans is that we like to multi-task. On average Americans spend twenty five minutes...
Words: 1428 - Pages: 6
