It threatens our children and exacts enormous economic costs. It's time to stop wringing our hands. For too long, we've easily dismissed this problem as a simple rite of passage. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says young people, on average, start drinking at age 12. That's three years before a teen in Florida can even get a restricted driver's license.
Alcohol abuse is suspected as a frequent factor in high school and college dropout rates.
He's exactly right. Alcohol Free Kids says laws and enforcement practices for underage drinking and driving vary widely from state to state, even from community to community. No comprehensive plan exists to confront the problem. It proposes a national code and congressional hearings to, among other things, document the problem and evaluate why existing programs aren't effective. Under its plan, states and communities that failed to implement the plan could lose a share of federal highway funds.