I thank the National Transportation Safety Board for holding their important forum, “Reaching Zero: Actions to Eliminate Substance-Impaired Driving.” This highly regarded board realizes their “Most Wanted List” is outdated. They intend to take the information presented in the forum, study the research, and then update their recommendations. JT Griffin, MADD VP of Public Policy, presented powerful testimony on research that is the foundation for our Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. I was honored to represent the thousands of individuals victimized by impaired driving.
It was reaffirming to hear esteemed researchers as well as representatives from organizations such as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Governors Highway Safety Administration, and AAA, echo MADD’s recommendations. Specialists from around the world substantiated our course of action to eliminate drunk driving.
I drove home heartened by the comments and questions of Board members. They are dedicated to becoming an effective part of the solution so America can reach that beautiful zero number…or….eliminate impaired driving. Member Sumwalt summarized that “there really are a lot of dedicated people working on this and there is no one magic bullet. Impaired driving is a crime. We need to focus on all impaired driving, not just hard core drunk drivers. We need a combination of our laws being certain, swift and severe, along with education, visible enforcemMy ent, and prevalent use of current technology and advanced technology that will be available down the road. DUI checkpoints are effective and we would like to see them implemented much more.”
Chairman Hersman asked the one question that deeply touched my heart. “Why are deaths by impaired driving not treated the same as death by other crimes?” Thank you, Chairman. The fact that we hear the impaired driver didn’t “intend” to kill someone is no longer reasonable. Drinking and then driving is still accepted as part of our society instead of being treated as the violent crime it is. It is an intentional choice for a person to drive after they have been drinking. Part of the definition of second degree murder is that the offender knew their intended action could result in a death, even if they did not pre-plan to kill anyone.
Today in Maryland, a common sentence for vehicular manslaughter is 18 months. I carried intense anger toward society’s attitude because of this very issue. The person who killed my daughter received a sentence of 28 days work-release, plus community service as part of his probation. I eventually realized I needed to release that anger and use it to focus on making positive change.
Member Sumwalt was inspired to conclude with: “I want this to be a springboard for the problem. I want to really charge out of here and work together to solve this problem.” My reply: “Fantastic! Welcome aboard! We have been doing it since we began our Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® 6 years ago. We are so glad you are joining us!” Thank you Chairman Hersman and Member Rosekind for leading the charge in NTSB.
Looking forward to a future with no more impaired driving,
Jan Withers
MADD National President
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