In France, the legal drinking age is 16. In Switzerland, it's 14. In Poland and Portugal, there is no minimum drinking age, and in most other European countries, it's 18.

However, young people in Europe tend to start driving at an older age than those in the United States, because in most countries it's more difficult to pass the driver's license test, insurance costs are high, and trains and buses are more widely used.

"They start drinking at 16, but they cannot drive until they are 18," said Florence Berteletti Kemp, a communications officer in Brussels for Eurocare, a private group that campaigns to reduce Europeans' alcohol consumption. "I think in the U.S., there is an expectation to have your own car. It's not that young people in Europe are more careful. It's that they haven't got the car."

To prevent drunk driving, European nations tend to focus more on enforcement of highway rules than devising ways to keep alcohol away from young people. In recent years, many countries have cracked down on drunk driving and speeding by conducting road safety campaigns and installing radar units on highways.

In addition, many European countries have tough drunk-driving ordinances that can result in immediate license suspension with little recourse.

Still, recent statistics show that in the 15 countries in the European Union, traffic accidents kill nearly 40,000 people each year, with about a quarter of those deaths related to alcohol. "Binge drinking is rising all across Europe," said Berteletti Kemp of Eurocare. "It's the alcopop culture. Adults don't drink these things -- it's young people."

Eurocare is pushing for establishment of uniform blood-alcohol limits, as well as uniform penalties and lower blood-alcohol limits for young drivers.

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