People enjoy a beer
© AFP/DDP/File Sascha Schuermann

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the American Medical Association (AMA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced at a press conference that they have set up a "coalition of leading health and safety groups in support of the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age Law."

MADD was a motivating force in getting the minimum legal drinking age across the United States raised to 21 in 1984, the organization's chief executive, Chuck Hurley, told AFP after the press conference.

He warned that lowering the legal drinking age to 18 -- as a small activist group based in the university town of Middlebury, Vermont, "Choose Responsibility", is pushing for -- would lead to more binge drinking among America's youngsters.

"Everything in science indicates that the drinking age didn't cause binge drinking and will make it worse if it's lowered," Hurley said.

Hurley also warned of the potential dangers of having "a patchwork quilt of drinking ages" across the United States -- where states set their own age for legally consuming alcohol.

"When Illinois raised its drinking age to 21, based on increased fatalities, Wisconsin said it wasn't going to do that," Hurley explained.

"The (state) border bars used to have weekend specials trying to get the kids from Chicago to drive up and try to make it back home."

Support 21 cited "almost 50 peer-reviewed studies ... which found that an increased drinking age significantly lowers alcohol-related fatalities" which militated strongly for keeping the legal drinking age at 21.

"The Safety Board has long recognized the need for laws that prevent alcohol consumption by people under age 21, and we have not identified any new information that merits changing the Board's position," said NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker.

"Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death and alcohol the leading drug of choice for teenagers," he said.

Ronald Davis said the American Medical Association has joined the coalition to protect children's health.

"Working together we can have a positive impact on the problem of underage drinking, which will vastly improve our children's health," he said.

Hurley told AFP the coalition has been set up to counterbalance the media attention being given to the "Choose Responsibility" advocacy group, which he accused of dismissing scientific facts in favor of personal views.

While 50 peer reviewed studies strongly support maintaining the drinking age, only one supports Choose Responsibility, Hurley said.

"This is about science. We're talking about life and death here," Hurley said.

©AFP