Laws Against Underage Drinking By Minors
Laws reducing the legal BAG for youth can be strengthened by imposing administrative license revocation for drivers who are arrested with any measurable BAG. A substantial body of research supports the effectiveness of both administrative adjudication and license revocation in reducing crashes among drivers of all ages.
The Safety Board believes that States should enact comprehensive alcohol purchase laws to prohibit the purchase, the attempt to purchase, public possession, and public consumption of alcohol by minors, and should prohibit the misrepresentation of age and use of false identification by minors to purchase alcohol.
The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 (NMDA) while including provisions prohibiting the purchase and public Possession of alcohol, resulted in a uniform national age for the sale of alcohol to minors. But, five States and the District of Columbia do not prohibit the purchase of alcohol by minors. The District of Columbia also does not prohibit the public possession of alcohol by minors. Notwithstanding the law's purchase and public possession provisions, these six States and the District of Columbia were certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as being in compliance with the act. In addition, 35 States allow one or more exceptions to possession of alcohol by minors.
Once an underage person obtains alcohol, many States have unusual provisions related to consumption or otherwise do not prohibit consumption. For example, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island prohibit minors from consuming alcohol in licensed establishments, apparently permitting consumption at other public locations.
Most State laws appear to place responsibility for underage drinking on the seller of alcohol, but not on the underage purchasers who also should be responsible for their actions. Current laws misplace responsibility, send a mixed message to youth, and impede enforcement. With such deficiencies, it is no surprise that alcohol is readily available to minors and that, as a consequence, alcohol-related crashes involving drivers under age 21 continue to occur.
To maximize the lives saved from the establishment of a minimum drinking age, it is essential to reduce alcohol availability and traffic fatalities, improve State minimum drinking age laws, and enforce these laws.
The Safety Board believes that the District of Columbia and the States should enact comprehensive laws to prohibit the attempt by minors to purchase alcohol or the purchase of alcohol by minors, the public possession of alcohol by minors, public consumption of alcohol by minors, and the misrepresentation of age and use of false identification by minors to purchase alcohol. Uniform laws may also help to reduce travel by underage persons to States with more permissive laws.
The Safety Board believes that States should enact comprehensive alcohol purchase laws to prohibit the purchase, the attempt to purchase, public possession, and public consumption of alcohol by minors, and should prohibit the misrepresentation of age and use of false identification by minors to purchase alcohol.
The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 (NMDA) while including provisions prohibiting the purchase and public Possession of alcohol, resulted in a uniform national age for the sale of alcohol to minors. But, five States and the District of Columbia do not prohibit the purchase of alcohol by minors. The District of Columbia also does not prohibit the public possession of alcohol by minors. Notwithstanding the law's purchase and public possession provisions, these six States and the District of Columbia were certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as being in compliance with the act. In addition, 35 States allow one or more exceptions to possession of alcohol by minors.
Once an underage person obtains alcohol, many States have unusual provisions related to consumption or otherwise do not prohibit consumption. For example, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island prohibit minors from consuming alcohol in licensed establishments, apparently permitting consumption at other public locations.
Most State laws appear to place responsibility for underage drinking on the seller of alcohol, but not on the underage purchasers who also should be responsible for their actions. Current laws misplace responsibility, send a mixed message to youth, and impede enforcement. With such deficiencies, it is no surprise that alcohol is readily available to minors and that, as a consequence, alcohol-related crashes involving drivers under age 21 continue to occur.
To maximize the lives saved from the establishment of a minimum drinking age, it is essential to reduce alcohol availability and traffic fatalities, improve State minimum drinking age laws, and enforce these laws.
The Safety Board believes that the District of Columbia and the States should enact comprehensive laws to prohibit the attempt by minors to purchase alcohol or the purchase of alcohol by minors, the public possession of alcohol by minors, public consumption of alcohol by minors, and the misrepresentation of age and use of false identification by minors to purchase alcohol. Uniform laws may also help to reduce travel by underage persons to States with more permissive laws.
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