Youth drinking is National's fault – road safety expert

The government needs to take responsibility for the rise in youth drinking, according to a leading road safety expert.

Dog & Lemon Guide editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, whose road safety research has been awarded by the Australian Police Journal, says:

“When the previous National government lowered the legal drinking age, people like myself predicted carnage. We were proved 100% right.”

“The rise in youth drinking is largely the result of younger people having increased access to alcohol. The only real way to reverse youth drinking is to restrict young people’s access to alcohol. It’s that simple.”

“Before the drinking age was lowered we had 20-year-olds buying alcohol for 18-year olds. Now we have 18-year-olds buying alcohol for 15-year-olds, and the terrible results are there for everyone to see.”

Alcohol is directly implicated in around one quarter of road deaths and 35% of all types of injury. A recent study of 12 -17-year-olds by the Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council showed that one quarter of 14-17-year-olds drink heavily and regularly.

Matthew-Wilson believes that alcohol should be treated in the same way as tobacco - accepted but discouraged.

“In the real world, the people most likely to drink are the least likely to be able to control the consequences. The people – especially MPs – who say that drinking is a matter of personal responsibility are in complete lack of contact with Planet Earth. The reality is that people – especially young people – are not making informed choices about drinking. Instead these drinkers are making appallingly bad choices and wrecking countless lives in the process.”