John M Mc Cardell Jr Director of Choose

John M. Mc. Cardell, Jr. Director of Choose Responsibility President Emeritus of Middlebury College

The Moral Thermometer An Inquiry into the Effects of Spirituous Liquors on the Human Body and the Mind (Benjamin Rush, 1790)

Total alcohol-related fatalities, 1982 -2006 (Data from NHTSA 2003)

Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities (Hingson & Winter 2003)

Estimated number of lives saved per year by use of restraints and drinking age, 1975 -2005 (Data from NHTSA 2005)

Population change and drunken driving fatalities, 1982 -2004 (Data from NHTSA 2005 and Bureau of Census Population Estimates)

Binge Drinking n n n 56% increase in binge drinking between 1993 and 2001 by 18 -20 year-olds (1) More than 90% of all alcohol consumed by underage drinkers is consumed during binge drinking (2) Over 1000 lives of 18 -24 yearolds are lost annually to alcohol off the highways, a figure that has been increasing since 1998 (3) (Naimi et al. 2003) 2 (Institutes of Medicine 2003) 3 (Hingson et al. 2005) 1

By law, at age 18 you are mature enough to. . . n n n n Enlist or be drafted, risking your life for our nation Marry, adopt children, and be a legal guardian Open a bank account, go into debt, own property, sue or be sued Vote, and seek or hold public office Purchase firearms Smoke, buy lottery tickets, and gamble Enter into a legally binding contract

Our Proposal n n Congressional waiver of highway funds incentive Allow for the consumption of alcohol with parents beginning at age 18 After high school, young adults may take an alcohol education course that grants a license to purchase, possess, and consume alcohol Any violation of the state’s alcohol laws would result in the revocation of the alcohol license, or the opportunity to apply for license for those under 18

References n Alcohol Policy Information System. (2006). Underage Consumption of Alcohol. http: //www. alcoholpolicy. niaaa. nih. gov/index. asp? SEC={0 D 5 C 719 E-FCE 8 -4 E 15 -A 367 -4145 C 655505 F}&Type=BAS_APIS n Hingson, R. & Winter, M. (2003). Epidemiology and Consequences of Drinking and Driving. Bethesda: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institute of Health. n Hingson, R. , Hereen, T. , Winter, M. , Weschler, H. (2005). Magnitude of alcohol related mortality and morbidity among US college students ages 18 -24: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Annual Review of Public Health, (26), 259 -279. n Institutes of Medicine. (2003). Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. Washington: National Academies Press. n Naimi, T. S. , Brewer, R. D. , Mokdad, A. , Denny, C. , Serdula, M. , & Marks, J. S. (2003). Binge drinking among U. S. Adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 289(1), 70 -75. n National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2005). Traffic safety facts: 2004 Data (DOT HS 809 905). Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 1, 2006, from: http: //www-nrd. nhtsa. dot. gov/pdf/nrd 30/NCSA/TSF 2004/809905. pdf n Kobler, J. (1973). Ardent Spirits: The Origins of the American Temperance Movement. New York: De Cappo Press. (Benjamin Rush’s Moral Thermometer) n Runge, J. W. (2003, October 21). Impaired driving in the US: Progress and research needs. Washington DC: U. S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.