Nationwide Insurance Survey Finds Parents Fed up with “Party Schools” and Politicians Who Support Lowering Drinking Age : Survey Respondents Intolerant of Underage Binge Drinking and Say States’ Efforts to Lower Drinking Age Will Make Huge Problem Worse

Ohio (EMWNews) August 19, 2008 —

Americans continue to overwhelmingly reject an ongoing push to lower the

legal drinking age from 21 to 18. According to a Nationwide Insurance

survey released today, 72 percent of adults think lowering the drinking

age will make alcohol more accessible to kids and nearly half believe it

would increase binge drinking among teens. More than half even say they

are less likely to vote for a state representative who supports lowering

the legal limit or send their children to colleges or universities with “party

school” reputations.

“Being recognized as a top party school

is not a good thing,” said Bill Windsor,

Associate Vice President of Safety for Nationwide. “Our

survey clearly shows 75 percent of people support greater enforcement of

existing underage drinking laws and increased penalties for adults who

give alcohol to those under age.”

Nearly eight of 10 adults Nationwide surveyed believe teenage drinking

contributes to drunk driving crashes and higher insurance rates,

especially for teen

car insurance. In fact, industry figures show alcohol-related

crashes cost each U.S. household more than $165 a year in higher

insurance premiums. That cost continues to rise.

“Lowering the drinking age passes this big

problem to those in the high school community already dealing with very

serious underage drinking issues,” said Laura

Dean-Mooney, MADD’s new national president. “Underage

drinking is an adult problem and, more specifically, parents play a key

role in educating their children well before peer pressure begins.”

Nationwide is partnering with MADD to host a national symposium on binge

drinking Nov. 6-7 in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the event is to

bring parents to the forefront of the discussion and to explore how they

can use their influence to curb underage

drinking.

“We look forward to working with Nationwide

to help curb this dangerous trend,” said

Dean-Mooney. “The need for strong role models

is critical if we are to stop this irresponsible behavior. Everyone will

benefit if we can save lives, keep everyone safe and lower the monetary

impact of such reckless behavior.”

Binge drinking in college becomes top of mind this time of year, as

young students get their first taste of independence and high school

students return to school. Drinking games that have increasingly become

part of the youth social scene are making the problem of underage

college binge drinking worse – and in some

cases with deadly results.

“Bouncing a quarter into a cup…Performing a

handstand on a keg…Flipping a cup so it lands upright…many teenagers

and college freshman often find themselves honing skills that have

nothing to do with academics,” Windsor said. “As

the school year begins, young people need to be reminded that binge

drinking is against the law and bears heavy costs.”

For two decades the legal drinking age in the U.S. has been 21. But

during the last 18 months, nine states have entertained the idea of

lowering the drinking age minimum and three states have live

legislation. Proponents of the lower drinking age say current laws drive

teen alcohol use underground.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration, 7.2 million – or one in five –

youth under the age of 21 have engaged in underage binge drinking in the

past month, and opponents to lowering the drinking age believe that

lowering the drinking age to 18 will only provide greater access to even

younger teens.

These underage drinking statistics alarm the parents of college-bound

students – and 58 percent of parents say they are less likely to send

their children to a known party school. Additionally, 70 percent of

parents want colleges to notify them when their child violates the school’s

alcohol policies.

In a seven-year span, the number of youth who died from alcohol

poisoning has nearly doubled. An Associated Press analysis of federal

records found that 157 college-age people, 18 to 23, drank themselves to

death from 1999 through 2005 (the most recent year for which figures are

available). The number of alcohol-poisoning deaths per year rose from 18

in 1999 to 35 in 2005. Over the seven-year span, 83 of the college-age

victims were under the drinking age of 21.

Methodology:

• The telephone survey of 2,006 American households was conducted in

  April 2008 with Opinion Research Corporation and has a +/-2.2 percent

  margin of error.

• Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks at one

  occasion.

For more information about underage drinking statistics included in this

survey, visit www.nationwide.com/stop-underage-drinking.

Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest diversified

insurance and financial services organizations in the world. Nationwide

ranks #108 on the Fortune 500 list. The company provides a full

range of insurance and financial services, including auto insurance,

motorcycle insurance, boat insurance, home insurance, life insurance,

farm insurance, commercial insurance, and financial services. For more

information, visit http://www.nationwide.com/.

Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark and On Your Side are federally

registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.