At age 18, Kofi Akyere could drink legally in his home country of Jamaica. But after his time at the University of South Carolina Aiken, the 23-year-old said he's not sure American 18-year-olds are ready for all the freedom that comes with turning 21.

The buzz around college campuses the past few weeks has been about the Amethyst Initiative signed by roughly 100 college presidents. They suggested lowering the legal drinking age to 18 in an effort to combat binge drinking. But their colleagues in the Augusta area aren't joining the chorus.

Nor are people in law enforcement, who see a correlation between traffic fatalities and drinking among people 18 to 21.

Even many students say they're not sure lowering the age limit will curb binge drinking on college campuses. Mr. Akyere believes the legal drinking age should stay at 21 because he has heard of too many deaths related to underage drinking in the United States.

The official word

Lowering the age would be a mistake, law enforcement officials say.

Statistics support keeping it at 21, said Sgt. Pete Lamb, the director of the DUI Task Force for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

The drinking age was lowered once before. In 1971, the federal voting age was lowered to 18, and many states dropped the drinking age to 18 as well. In 1984 the federal government forced states to restore the 21-year-old minimum or lose a portion of their highway money.

"When the drinking age was raised, fatalities in that age group went down, which demonstrates lives saved by doing that," Sgt. Lamb said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 51 percent of binge drinking is done among ages 18 to 20. Eleven percent of yearly alcohol consumption is by children ages 12 to 20, the CDC said.

Harold Crawford, the alcohol enforcement teen coordinator for the 2nd Judicial Circuit in South Carolina, said that he does not think the age should be lowered. Young people have a hard time making rational decisions when they are drinking, he said.

"Nationwide we have roughly 33 young people killed in motor vehicle crashes every day, between the ages of 16 and 24, and 49 percent are alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes," Mr. Crawford said. That totals about 5,900 deaths a year.

In Richmond County, 4 percent of drivers charged by the DUI Task Force in 2007 were younger than 21, Sgt. Lamb said. That figure does not include drivers who refused a breathalyzer test.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office have had 76 incidents in 2008, according to Capt. Steve Morris.

Presidents' firm no

Officials of Augusta area colleges say they will not support the Amethyst Initiative, which was launched in July.

"I see some relevance in it, but I just think there's other things we should have as a priority than having our students drink at a younger age," said Dr. George Bradley, the president of Paine College.

Thomas Hallman, the chancellor of the University of South Carolina Aiken, said he is "not prepared to jump into this as a solution or even as a step in the direction of solving that problem."

Augusta State University President William A. Bloodworth Jr., who opposes beer ads on NCAA sports telecasts, said he has not seen statistics that show age is the reason for binge drinking among college students.

"The culprit is more likely to be beer ads than any aspect of the law," Dr. Bloodworth said in an e-mail.

Officials at the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Emory University and the University of South Carolina also said they do not support lowering the drinking age. Two Georgia presidents who signed the initiative, Kendall Blanchard of Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus and Robert M. Franklin of Morehouse College in Atlanta, have withdrawn their support, The New York Times reported last week.

Other views

Raven Jackson, Lakeside High School student body president, said a lower age would just make it easier for younger students to get alcohol. She said 18-year-olds are not mature enough to handle drinking.

"As a 21-year-old, you are an adult, you have to take care of yourself," she said.

Elizabeth Meyers, a senior at North Augusta High School, disagrees.

"If you can fight for your country, then you can drink," Elizabeth said, citing an argument often advanced by other proponents of a younger drinking age.

Donna Johnson, a parent of a North Augusta High senior, said she thinks her son is mature enough "in his thinking about drinking," but three more years of maturity will help him make even better decisions.

"I think it should stay at the age of 21," Mrs. Johnson said. "I don't believe an 18-year-old is responsible enough to be allowed those privileges."

Reach Crystal Garcia at (706) 823-3409 or crystal.garcia@augustachronicle.com.