Practice Areas
- Car Accidents & Injuries
- Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Uninsured Motorist Claims
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Insurance Claim Denials
- Construction Accidents & Injuries
- Virginia Workers Compensation
- Nursing Home & Assisted Living Abuse
- Wrongful Death
Blog 
Car Accidents & Injuries
- Car accident alert: is your infant safe?
- The Top 5 Causes of Virginia Traffic Accidents
- How is Virginia’s transportation budget battle going to affect you?
- Motorcyclist pays the ultimate price on the GW Parkway
- Do laws banning cell phone use while driving really work?
- The US Government decides to further investigate Jeep Liberty defect
- Rollover risks – how safe is your SUV?
- Car Accident Deaths Increase Starting At Age 12
- New car seat rating system launched
- So long, abusive driving fees!
Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Causes of Large Truck Crashes
- Is your life at risk from a medically unfit driver?
- Distracted Tractor-Trailer Driver Takes Two Lives
Drunk Driving Accidents
- The Effect of Minimum Legal Drinking Age Laws and Drunk Driving Accidents
- Getting high-risk drunk drivers off the road
- Back road drunks – beware!
- Two drunk drivers slam into construction equipment, kill worker
Motorcycle Accidents
Insurance Claim Denials
Virginia Workers Compensation
Nursing Home & Assisted Living Abuse
Wrongful Death
General
- New Virginia DUI Law Takes Effect January 1, 2008
- Mandatory arbitration – good for business, bad for you
- Is your car watching you?
- Have you talked to your teenage driver about auto safety?
Firm News
- Car Crash Kills One and Injuries Four Other Victims
- Study Finds that 13% of Seniors are Mistreated
- Five Teens Died in Car Accidents during National Teen Driver Safety Week
- Settlement in Wrongful Death Case Reached
- Accidents on Va. 151
- Henrico Car Crash Kills Driver
- Fairfax County Police Worried About Motorcycle Traffic
- Virginia State Police Trooper Continues to Recover From Drunk Driving Accident
- Drivers With Prior DWI Convictions Pose Greatest Risk of Fatal Crashes
- Woman Dies In Weekend Motorcycle Crash
Library
Car Accidents & Injuries
- 8 Things You Should do After a Car Accident
- Focus on Infants: Is Your Child Passenger Safe?
- The Top 5 Causes of Traffic Accidents by Age Group
Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Study Examines Causes of Large Truck Accidents
- Are Medically Unfit Bus and Truck Drivers Endangering Your Life?
- The Deadly Facts about Tractor Trailer Accidents
Drunk Driving Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents and Minimum Legal Drinking Age
- The Problem of High-Risk Drunk Drivers in Fatal Crashes
- How Would Lowering the Drinking Age Affect Teen Drivers?
Uninsured Motorist Claims
Motorcycle Accidents
- Are Gas Prices Affecting Motorcycle Safety?
- Are Motorcycles Getting Deadlier?
- Motorcyclists – How to Protect Yourself on the Road
Insurance Claim Denials
- Car Insurance Claim Denials
- Help! My Insurance Claim was Denied!
- Are You Really in Good Hands with Allstate?
Construction Accidents & Injuries
Virginia Workers Compensation
Nursing Home & Assisted Living Abuse
Wrongful Death
General
How Would Lowering the Drinking Age Affect Teen Drivers?
Periodically the movement to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18 gains momentum and press coverage. The most recent burst of activity on this front was ignited by a petition, signed by over 100 college presidents, asking legislators to reduce the drinking age. Why are college presidents so interested in a lower drinking age? Don’t they want to stop binge drinking on campus – underage or not? And how will a lower drinking age solve that problem?
Well, the logic is that if students can drink legally, they won’t drink to excess and they won’t drink in private, remote locations that can’t be properly supervised. In addition, if drinking were legal at a younger age, colleges and universities might be less exposed to costly lawsuits, like one in September 2000 that cost MIT $6 million after a freshman died in a case of alcohol poisoning.
While these presidents may think that a lower drinking age will solve some serious issues on their campuses, those with a stake in keeping drunken driving accidents and deaths as low as possible are very concerned about it. Before the federal government pressured all states to raise their drinking age to 21 in the 1980’s, alcohol related traffic fatalities – especially teenage alcohol fatalities – were at an all-time high.
Young drivers and alcohol don’t mix
It should be said up front: lowering the drinking age to 18 does not give young drivers the right to drink and drive. DUI is DUI regardless of whether the alcohol was obtained and consumed legally or not. However, there are statistics that show a higher drinking age actually reduced alcohol related traffic fatalities for young drivers. Remember, we’ve been down this road before. The drinking age was originally lowered to 18 during the Vietnam era, when people couldn’t imagine sending young people off to risk their lives in war without allowing them an alcoholic beverage if they so desired. A similar argument is being used today, as many young men and women are fighting to defend our country.
However an unexpected side effect of this change was that the number of alcohol related traffic fatalities began to rise at an alarming rate. In order to prevent unnecessary deaths due to drinking and driving, Congress again put pressure on the states to raise the drinking age. A recently issued statement from MADD concludes that the 1984 federal law pushing states to raise the legal age to 21 has saved 25,000 lives. MADD’s answer to college presidents who want to lower the drinking age – tightening alcohol policies, punishing violators and go after adults who provide alcohol to kids.
The bottom line is that college students are going to find a way to drink no matter the legal age. To lower the drinking age to 18 – when it has been tried before with disastrous results – would be misguided and utterly negligent.
If you or someone you love is unfortunate enough to be involved in a car accident or become the victim of a drunken driver, then we want to hear from you. Please contact the Northern Virginia law offices of Dulaney, Lauer & Thomas today and let us work with you to secure the justice and compensation that you deserve.
DULANEY, LAUER & THOMAS, LLP
Warrenton Office
98 Alexandria Pike, Suite 11
Warrenton, VA 20186
Toll Free: 888.907.2631
Local: 540.349.2631
Culpeper Office
209 N. West Street
Culpeper, VA 22701
Toll Free: 800.741.1012
Local: 540.825.6046
Free Case Evaluation
Dulaney, Lauer & Thomas, LLP
98 Alexandria Pike
Suite 11
Warrenton, VA 20186
Phone: 888-907-2631
DULANEY, LAUER &
THOMAS, LLP
Warrenton Office
98 Alexandria Pike
Suite 11
Warrenton, VA 20186
Toll Free: 888.907.2631
Local: 540.349.2631
Get Directions
Culpeper Office
209 N. West Street
Culpeper, VA 22701
Toll Free: 800.741.1012
Local: 540.825.6046
Get Directions
Our Attorneys
Resources
- Car Accidents & Injuries
- Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Insurance Claim Denials
- Virginia Workers Compensation
- Nursing Home & Assisted Living Abuse
- Wrongful Death
- General
FAQ
Car Accidents & Injuries
- Why hire a lawyer? Can't I just resolve this matter with the insurance company on my own?
- Does an injury case require an attorney who "specializes" in personal injury law?
- If I hire an attorney will that prolong the resolution of my case or guarantee that it goes to trial?
Uninsured Motorist Claims
- I was injured by a "hit and run" driver who fled the scene and whose identity is unknown. Do I have a case? Against whom?
- My auto insurance policy has "uninsured motorist" coverage. What is this?
Insurance Claim Denials
Construction Accidents & Injuries
- I was struck by a bulldozer while working on a construction site and seriously injured my leg. Who is liable?
- Will pursuing a lawsuit for a construction accident injury jeopardize my rights to workers compensation?