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From: djl@fisher.UUCP (Dan Levin  N6BZA )
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Big Push Against Drunk Driving
Message-ID: <68@fisher.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 9-Mar-84 16:18:27 EST
Article-I.D.: fisher.68
Posted: Fri Mar  9 16:18:27 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 10-Mar-84 13:12:59 EST
References: <270@charm.UUCP> <654@eosp1.UUCP> <2072@ihuxf.UUCP>
Organization: Princeton Univ. Statistics
Lines: 34

A quiet little flame for all of you do-gooders on your white
horses charging about calling for drinking and driving ages of
at least 21, if not 25 (perhaps mild exageration, but you get the
point).

The problem with drunk drivers in this country, and more importantly
with driving on American roads at all is not the age of those 
involved, but the laws that let them out on the road in the
first place.  Raising the driving age does get rid of all
the hot shot teenagers who are showing off and killing innocent
civilians, but it also screws all the more civilized younger
members of society.  Since the later outnumber the former, what is
required are much more stringint driving laws, and a return to
the realization that driving is a PRIVILEGE, that my dollars
give you the roads to drive on, and thus the right to keep you
off them I you are a menace.

As to the drinking age, if only it were lowered and the stigma of
'that's forbidden' taken off of booze, teenage drinking and alchoholism
would drop like a rock.  Take that from someone who is living the
terror of seeing his friends and classmates 'discover' alchohol for
the first time.  It is truely frightening.  So, lets hear it for
a reasonable driving age, with much more difficult tests (ala Germany),
and drink for all, or at least from age 14 with parental consent.

This from the mouth of a 20 year old college student, so administer
one LARGE grain of salt upon reading.  All flames to net.flame or
mail please!

-- 
			***dan

{ihnp4 | decvax | ucbvax}!allegra!fisher!djl
The misplaced (you call *that* a mountain ?!?!?) Californian