You are aware, of course, that a bill to increase the legal drinking age from
19 to 21 years died in the Alabama Senate on Monday, August 1, 1983.

It is a tragedy this life-saving bill (that passed overwhelmingly 79 to 7 -
in the Alabama House earlier in the session) fell victim to pressures exerted
by the liquor lobby as evidenced by the stall and delay tactics employed by
small, elitist cadre of State Senators and one other high-ranking elected state
official.

Each member of the Alabama Senate and the Lt. Governor was provided with
enormous amounts of scientific data and evidence supporting the proposition to
increase the legal drinking age. Yet, some key "players" chose to ignore the
facts. Regrettably, in this instance, ignoring facts translates directly to
loss of lives. In their uninformed ignorance, some of the bill's few opponents
argued that revenue would be lost if the 19 to 21 year age group was eliminated
from the pool of potential purchasers. However, these same elected officials
failed to acknowledge that the direct expense to the state for medical care,
hospitalization, physical rehabilitation, vocational rehabilitation and in many
cases, life-long maintenance for the catastrophically disabled (who survive the
drunken driver) far exceeds the meager tax revenue the 19 to 21 year olds would
contribute if they were allowed to continue purchasing alcohol.

I have enclosed a photocopy of a timely and exceptionally well-done scientific
study conducted at Duke University and published in the most recent issue of
that great institution's alumni newsletter. I have also enclosed a photocopy of
an editorial reprinted from the student newspaper at the University of
Nebraska. It reflects an exceptionally responsible posture. I am hopeful you
will consider this information as well as other readily available data and
subsequently make a decision to support a bill to establish a national legal
drinking age of 21 years that was recently introduced in the United States
House of Representatives by the Honorable James F. Florio of New Jersey.

Spain Rehabilitation Center Room 522 1717 Sixth Avenue South University Station Birmingham, Alabama 35294 (205) 934-3334

Page Two

As you will note, I am the Chairperson of the Governor's Task Force on Drunk Driving. This body was established by Executive Order this past August. The Task Force is composed of 43 outstanding Alabamians who have enthusiastically accepted the Governor's charge to develop realistic recommendations that will help reduce the slaughter taking place, day in and day out, on highways in Alabama and throughout the nation because of drunk drivers. I am more than willing to meet personally with you or any member of your staff to elaborate upon the very critical necessity of establishing a national 21 year drinking age.

I hasten to add that I am a strong believer in the concept of "state's rights" but in an instance where thousands of lives are at stake and the state fails to act because of the rigid, selfish and uninformed vested interests of a miniscule group of temporarily powerful individuals, it is essential that the federal government step in and take corrective and preventive action.

Respectfully,

Dr. Philip R. Fine

Cc: Hon. James J. Florio

U.S. House of Representatives

MADD

Editorial

Up drinking age? Yes

At first glance, it doesn't seem fair. At second glance, it makes sense. !B56 proposes to raise the legal drinking age in Nebraska to 21. Obviously, if passed, it would atfect a sizeable number of UNL students.

In 1980, when the Legislature voted to raise the drinking age from 19 to 20. the "trickle down effect." legal-aged persons making alcohol available to their younger, "less responsible" friends, should have been alleviated. To some extent, it did work. But if that were the main ques tion at hand, the current legal drinking age would not be questioned.

The real question is. "Will it make a difference for Nebraska to raise the age aram The real answer is a resounding "Yes"

Yes, the state would benefit because the roads would be safer and there would be less chance that you or your friends are involved in an alcohol-related accident. The evidence is overwhelming in every case where a state has raised its drinking age from 18 to 21. That's not surprising. But the new evidence shows that if 20year-olds were not able to acquire alcohol as easily, fewer people would die on the highway.

It seems that 20-year-olds, as a group. tend to be a problem when it comes to driving and drinking. If it were just a younger crowd, such as high school students, causing the problem, the case would be different.

According to Fred Zwonechek, director

of Nebraska Highway Safety, from 1978
to 1981, there was an average of 32 fatal
accidents, involving 39 fatalities, caused by
drivers 20 and under who were driving
while intoxicated.

Twenty-five percent of the fatal acci-
dents statewide involving alcohol were
caused by those age 20 and under - a
group that comprises only 9.6 percent
of the licensed drivers.

Zwonechek said that in a study show. ing the number of 20-year-olds involved in fatal accidents and alcohol, from 1980 to 1982, the data show them to be disproprortionately a problem. He admitted that though most statistics can be manipulated to prove whatever point needs to be made. "In any way you read the fi gures. 20-year-olds fall out as a significant problem."

A study released last summer by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety surveyed nine states from 1976 to 1980 which raised their drinking age. In eight of the nine states, the reduction in nighttime fatal crashes ranged from 6 percent to 75 percent. The study showed that a state can expect an average 28 percent reduction in nighttime fatal crashes among drivers in the age group the law change applies to

Even most younger people realize the problem and would support a law making 21 the drinking age nationally. In a Gallup Poll released Jan. 27, 18-, 19- and 20-yearolds would vote for such a law by a ratio of 3-to-2. It does make sense.

Reprinted from THE DAILY NEBRASKAN. Thursday.
Feb. 10, 1983. THE DAILY NEBRASKAN is the student
publication of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.