Here is a great video about how the federal government coerced the states to raise their legal drinking ages to 21 in the 1980s:
One correction: the 21 drinking age didn't actually save any lives in the long run. Miron and Tetelbaum (2009) debunked that rather nicely, as did Asch and Levy (1987 and 1990). And Canada saw a similar or faster decline in alcohol related traffic deaths among both youth and adults, without raising the drinking age to 21. As did the 12 no-change US states that kept it 21 throughout.
As for "blood borders" (which also exist between dry and wet counties, by the way), there is more than one way to skin that particular you-know-what. Encouraging and rewarding states by giving extra federal highway funds with higher drinking ages to lower their drinking ages to 18 (i.e. positive reinforcement) would have been a much better idea. Put up sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols near state lines. And make drunk driving across state lines a federal crime as well. Problem solved. Next.
Let America be America again, and lower the drinking age to 18. Yesterday, full stop. If you're old enough to go to war, you're old enough to go to the bar. 'Nuff said.
(Mic drop)
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