60 Minutes Story on College Binge Drinking

60 Minutes Story on College Binge Drinking Highlights Importance of Limiting Youth Access to Alcohol

February 23, 2009
Announcement From: Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)511 E. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 700Irving, TX 75062

DALLAS -- 60 Minutes, CBS's weekly newsmagazine, aired a story [Feb. 22] on underage drinking focused on the significant problem of binge drinking on college campuses but did not include peer-reviewed scientific data showing lives are being saved on and off the roadways. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) National President, Laura Dean-Mooney, said, "Lowering the drinking age would only make the problem worse among 15, 16 and 17 year-olds, just look at European countries with an 18 law." Data from European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) in 2003 showed that of 35 European countries, 31 had a higher percentage of 15-year olds who had been drunk in the past year than in the U.S.

Support 21, a broad coalition of stakeholders from science, medical and public health organizations, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the American Medical Association (AMA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), today said they are deeply disappointed that the story fuels an irresponsible debate with lives at stake. The Coalition stands firmly behind the indisputable scientific research found by more than 50 high-quality, peer-reviewed studies that show that the 21 minimum drinking age law saves lives on the roadways. Additionally, the law has been proven to lower underage consumption and save lives off the roads.

To view the entire story, go to http://www.jointogether.org/news/yourturn/announcements/2009/60-minutes-youth-access.html?log-event=sp2f-view-item&nid=49287108