College of Idaho President Bob Hoover is among more than 100 U.S. college presidents calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18.

Hoover, a former president at the University of Idaho, signed his name to the Amethyst Initiative which supports debate over the drinking age. Hoover and others say lowering the age to 18 would reduce the dangerous practice of binge drinking across college campuses and students would learn more about moderation while being supervised. Neither the UI nor Boise State University are part of the initiative.

Activists, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, are urging college presidents to remove their name from the initiative.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, research shows that young drivers are more often involved in alcohol-related crashes than any other group. In the year 2000, research revealed that 30 percent of the 15 to 20-year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking.

Initiative opponents also point to studies that show that people are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence if they start drinking before the age of 21. (KTVB)