[Rick Lee]

I can't imaging having to deal with this as a parent. I didn't really get into drinking until I went to be an exchange student in Germany when I was 16. But I didn't need or have a car there, so it was no problem. Once I got back here, I had turned 17 and got my license the first Monday I was back in the US. I never drank and drove in those days, but I'm sure my folks worried about it. The drinking age in the US is a joke and encourages abuse. That's one of the few things Europe does a lot better than we do - drink first, then learn how to drive CORRECTLY, then get a license.