21 Drinking Age Law Saves Nearly 1,000 Lives Each Year; Turns Another Year Older

DALLAS and WASHINGTON, July 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An estimated 25,000
people are alive today because of the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA).
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) applauds the work of Senators Frank R.
Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) as well as and the late
Representative James J. Howard (D-NJ) who helped pass this life-saving law,
which was signed into law 24 years ago today. Since its passage, there have
been significant declines in deaths on the roads and off the roads.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030421/MADDLOGO )

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates the 21 MLDA has
reduced traffic fatalities involving drivers 18 to 20 years old by 13 percent
and has saved an estimated 25,509 lives since 1975. In 2006, an estimated 890
lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws.

"While 21 started out helping to combat drunk driving, we now have extensive
research on the impact of this law on underage drinking prevention as well,"
said Laura Dean-Mooney, MADD's newly appointed national president. "MADD is
continuing to support this law by advocating for more enforcement and limiting
social and retail access to alcohol by those under 21. Additionally, we need
to reach youth well before peer pressure begins, as early as 4th grade."

Research shows the earlier youth drink the more likely they are to become
alcohol dependent and to drive drunk. Youth who start drinking before age 15,
compared to those who wait until age 21, were 12 times more likely to be
unintentionally injured while under the influence of alcohol, 7 times more
likely to be in a motor vehicle crash after drinking, and 10 times more likely
to have been in a physical fight after drinking. (NAS, 2003) To support the
21 drinking age, please sign the pledge of support at www.madd.org.

"The anniversary of the federal minimum drinking age law reminds us of the
important life-saving and life-preserving benefits this legislation has
brought our country," said Ronald M. Davis, AMA Immediate Past President. "A
21 drinking age was established based on sound scientific evidence that
demonstrates the dangers of early alcohol use for children and adolescents.
The adolescent brain is a work in progress, marked by significant development
in areas of the brain responsible for learning, memory, complex thinking,
planning, inhibition and emotional regulation."

MADD's mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent
crime and to prevent underage drinking. MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk
Driving includes increased high-visibility enforcement such as sobriety
checkpoints and saturation patrols that also involve enforcing zero tolerance
laws for those under 21; and mandating alcohol ignition interlocks for all
convicted drunk drivers. To learn more, please visit www.madd.org,
www.why21.org, or call 1-800-GET-MADD.

SOURCE Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Misty Moyse, +1-469-420-4558, or Heidi Castle, +1-469-420-4545, both of MADD