The drinking age should remain at twenty-one to provide protection and promote safety. Underage drinking is most common on college campuses. The majority of college students are below the age of twenty-one and about 87.3% of college students experiment with alcohol. The consequences of underage drinking are so severe that underage drinking is recognized as a serious public health issue. Half of all underage drinking involves binge drinking, a style of drinking where alcohol is consumed excessively in a short amount of time. An alarming rate of 31% of underage college students meet the criteria for alcohol abuse. Alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of death among young adults in the United States. Underage drinking has many preventable consequences some severe and some mild; however, all impact the health and well- being of students across the nation. Poor academic performance can be attributed to alcohol consumption among many college undergraduates, causing them to miss lectures and fall behind in classes. Hangovers are also a physiological response to the consumption of alcohol that impacts the health of a student. Alcohol poisoning is also a common problem among many underage students, where the body rejects the alcohol that is consumed, which can result in hospitalization and even death. Underage drinking is a common occurrence and widely accepted; however, this does not make this behavior safe, healthy, or acceptable for college students.

Underage drinking has a negative impact on the safety and health of the consumers. This includes sexual violence, injures, and poor judgment. Alcohol is known to affect decision-making and judgment of  the consumer, and underage students have reported 41.8% did something they regretted while under the influence of alcohol. Another side effect of drinking includes “blacking out” or memory loss, 33.1% of underage consumers reported having serious memory loss. Sexual violence and rape often occur with the presence of alcohol. There are about 97,000 reported cases of sexual assault per year across the nation. This statistic; however, is most likely lower than the actual number of assaults due to the high number of sexual assaults that go unreported. The chance of unprotected sex increases when alcohol is involved leading to an inflation of STIs on college campuses. A reported 20.4% of underage students admit to having unprotected sex while under the influence. Injures are also a common result of underage drinking. There are 599,000 injuries resulting from alcohol related situations. A reported 21.5% of underage drinkers are injured in some way while intoxicated. Every year there are around 1,825 deaths resulting from alcohol related incidents. This information sheds light on the dangers and negative impact underage drinking perpetrates upon our youth. Underage drinking creates an environment of violence and it allows for many college undergraduates to be exposed to sexual violence. Underage drinking is not healthy for young students and also it brings many grave consequences including physical injuries and death. There are far too many negative consequences to consider lowering the drinking age.

Originally, the drinking age was set at eighteen but was increased to twenty-one in 1986 the three year increased has reaped many benefits and saved many lives in the realm of traffic safety. Statistics show 61% fatal accidents caused by driving under the influence are attributed to drivers in the fifteen to twenty-two age group. Intoxicated underage students are fourteen times more likely to operate a motor vehicle than compared to other age groups. The fifteen to twenty-two age group, and more specifically, eighteen to twenty-two, are at high risk for driving while intoxicated. Students eighteen to twenty-two represent a disproportionate number of fatalities due to intoxication. Before the age minimum was increased, the percentage of drinking and driving while underage peaked at 53%. After the drinking age was raised, this percentage was cut nearly in half  to the mid 20% . Often the offenders of drinking and driving are within the age group that attends college, since the raised drinking age minimum, the percentage has decreased resulting in saved lives. College culture of drinking and its acceptance leads to alcohol related crashes.    

Policies and regulations protect the safety and well-being of the nation. The minimum alcohol requirement in the US regulates the safety of underage consumers and those who surround them. It is evident that many grave, life threatening and serious consequences arise from drinking under the age of twenty-one. The impact on the lives of Americans has drastically improved since this regulation. The amount of fatalities has decreased by half. Underage drinking is common on college campuses, leaving a multitude of destructive decisions in its wake. Sexual violence and STIs are rampant due to the involvement of alcohol. Injuries and death also are a result of alcohol. Underage drinking is the third leading cause of death among college students and a serious public health issue. This drinking age protects the safety of our youth therefore, it should remain at twenty-one.