Underage drinking has become an epidemic in the United States. Starting to consume alcohol at a young age harms the brain development process and leaves behind long-term alcohol problems for that individual. According to the case Heisenberg v. State of Missouri, the national average for underage drinking begins at age fifteen. Curiosity allows students under the age of twenty-one to want to experiment with toxins such as alcohol. These dangerous decisions then create the dangerous action of drinking and driving. The government should create laws that not only strengthen existing ones but also modify them, so as to limit access to young adults. The legal drinking age of twenty-one should be raised to twenty-five because underage alcohol consumption causes a delay in brain development, would decrease the curiosity of young adults to perform dangerous behaviors, and is also the leading cause of automobile accidents. more harmful to both the body and brain than small amounts of alcohol consumed more often because extremely high levels of alcohol in the blood are toxic to organs, severely impair sensory and cognitive functions, and encourage habit formation or addiction. A young brain has weaker controls that would prevent a person from drinking too much. Scientists are finding clues in the brain that could help them identify the most vulnerable young people in the hope of stopping problem drinking before it strikes. According to psychiatric researcher Reagan R. Wetherill of the University of Pennsylvania, “the goal is to strengthen brain development 'just enough' so that young people can 'inhibit their drinking behavior before taking action.'” In the study, the 21 teens who began drinking heavily had, in their... middle of paper... or drivers under 21 years of age consuming any amount of alcohol and driving, the New York Law Applies Zero Tolerance This law provides punishment for a first offense with mandatory license suspension for 6 months and fines and costs of $225. For a second offense under the Zero Tolerance Law, the fine and fees are the same, but the license is revoked for a full year or until the person reaches age 21, whichever period of time is longer . Underage drinking has affected many people, especially those who consume large quantities of alcohol under the age of twenty-one. The government has the ability to not only raise awareness about the dangers, but can also raise the drinking age nationwide to a safer age. By the age of twenty-five, not only has the brain developed properly but it can also decrease the chances of disasters and car accidents in the United States.