[Maru]

Originally Posted by Crimson Dynamo

My Dad once parked the car on our front lawn and the next day told my mum he had just had a couple the night before. She marched him through to the living room and ceremoniously opened the blinds to reveal the askew car repleat with churned up grass skid marks.

Welcome to the 70s

Drinking was accepted during the 80s and even early 90s in TX, so many still made milder social exceptions for it and so this was considered "OK" (with caveats)... it wasn't until late 90s they started to get more strict. George W Bush was governor then and he had a reputation for being a "wild youth", so I think he carried that regret with him into office, I think.

Anyway, it used to be 16 year olds on the road were very common and more employers used to hire more of them. Then attitudes shifted towards irresponsible behaviors and so less hiring and stricter laws as youth were seen as less trustworthy.

During those years when he was our governor, he made it so that they were required to get a learners permit and then take classes. It used to only require a simple test and I remember that change being made and the youth were very unhappy. Binge drinking was and is still kind of a cultural past time in the south, especially for the young, but it's slowly shifted over the years I think. I don't think it's related to cost necessarily as it's still pretty cheap here. It's just less people party now and are less willing to risk their car as it's very expensive to be insured now. It's now more adults who are doing the party and binging and making it the family's problem...