The last weeks of summer, including Labor Day weekend, can be an especially dangerous time on America’s roadways. Over Labor Day weekend in 2010, 147 people were killed in drunk driving crashes nationwide, representing 36 percent of all highway fatalities.
In an effort to get drunk drivers off the road, raise public awareness about the dangers of drunk driving, and most importantly, to save more lives on our roadways, the national impaired-driving enforcement crackdown—Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over— will be held from August 17th to September 3rd.
Supporting the heroes who keep us safe on the road is a critical part of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. Statistics show that when the public’s perceived risk of being arrested for impaired driving increases, the less likely they are to do so. Increased saturation or roving patrols, as well as sobriety checkpoints, remind the public of the legal consequences that can come from driving drunk.
As people across the country celebrate the end of summer this Labor Day with parades and festivals, MADD urges everyone to stay safe on the road during a time of year when drunk driving deaths typically increase. There are several ways you can help keep your loved ones safe this Labor Day holiday:
Plan for a safe way home for you and your loved ones before consuming alcohol
If you plan to be on the road during this potentially dangerous time period, please be careful, and remember to spread the word that driving impaired is simply not worth the risk, so don’t take the chance. Together with law enforcement, we can put an end to the 100 percent preventable deaths and injuries caused by drunk driving.
Friends, family and community leaders gathered in Huntington, Long Island on August 10th for the unveiling of a bronze statue of Brianna Titcomb, age 13, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2005. The statue resides in Breezy Park, which was named for Brianna. Town Supervisor Frank Petrone, along with Councilman Mark Mayoka, Michael Fleicsher of the CSH Huntington Soccer club, and Brianna’s family — John, Dawn and Brett Titcomb — gathered to thank the community for their contributions in the formation of Breezy Park.
John Titcomb, Brianna’s father, emphasized the importance of having a statue of Brianna at the park by saying, “We hope that this will stimulate discussion within families and between peers about the senseless act of distracted driving and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. We think this park is a statement of commitment by the community to raise awareness and change behavior that affects us all.”
The sculpture was the work of Michael Alfano, an East Meadow native who has created numerous public art works, including, "Stand Up, Speak Out," which was made with the support of the Long Island chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Michael Fleischer, Frank Petrone, Titcom Family and Mark Mayoka
John Titcom, Brianna's father, speaks at the event and Family and Town Supervisor, Frank Perone, unveils the statue.
On Saturday, August 18, 1962, the Keeler family had their last fun day together as a family. They enjoyed a family picnic at a roadside park near Flint, Michigan, and afterwards, father Lester, age 38, mother Betty, age 33, sister Kimberly, age 6, and Scott, age 10, all piled into their red 1961 Bell Air Coupe. (In the early 60s seatbelts were not a standard option, and the Keeler’s car did not have them installed.)
On their drive home, they were hit by a 22-year-old male who admitted to drinking at least a six pack before driving. This crash was his eleventh offense.
Scott’s parents and sister were all thrown from the car. Betty, Scott’s mother, died instantly from multiple skull fractures and brain trauma. His sister Kimberly sustained cuts and bruises. Lester, his father, landed under the wreckage with broken ribs and collar bone, and suffered a traumatic brain injury, which changed his personality drastically; he went from being a loving family man and community leader, to somebody unable to care for his family.
Scott was trapped inside the car until a first responder noticed the crumpled little boy in the back seat. Scott was in a coma for three months and when he woke up he discovered that he was no longer the kid who had been playing with his sister and enjoying a family picnic with his parents that August day. Scott had a traumatic brain injury and was paralyzed on his left side. He had a tracheotomy to help him breathe. He was in immense pain, and recalls the nurses having to wrestle with him to get his arm in a sling, and to straighten it out. He had expressive aphasia—the inability to speak. Scott had to re-teach himself the basics: how to talk, walk, put on clothes, use the bathroom and feed himself. Due of the changes in his father as a result of the injuries sustained in the crash, Scott was passed from family member to family member before ending up in a foster home.
The drunk driver was sentenced to two years of probation and 104 weekends in jail. The judge prefaced the sentencing by stating that he “hated to pass such a strict sentence on such a fine young man.”
50 Years Later…
This crash happened before there were things like no-fault insurance, so Scott has had to pay medical bills out of pocket, which continues to be a struggle. He still has medical issues because of the crash that happened 50 years ago. Recently Scott underwent hip replacement surgery due to injuries sustained in the crash. While his is speech is still hard to understand, Scott hasn’t let the crash stop him from living, and thriving. Scott received his Masters of Social Work in 1993—he wanted to help other people and to make more money to pay his medical bills.
Scott and Stephanie at a National Crime Victims' Rights Week event.
One evening while watching the news with his wife Stephanie, they heard that the MADD chapter in Kalamazoo was being shut down. They knew they needed to do something, so Scott and Stephanie both became MADD Michigan Volunteers. Scott began volunteering for MADD in 1988, and he continues to provide help to other victims to this day. Scott helps MADD Michigan find and reach out to crash victims and he and his wife run several of the Victim Impact Panels in their area. Scott speaks to area organizations and at the VIPs about his crash and everybody he meets is touched by how much Scott has overcome. Scott is also a trained facilitator for the Power of Parents™ Workshops.
Scott feels that volunteering for MADD is the most important thing he does. Scott said, “I knew there was not a lot I could do about what happened in 1962, but I want to make things better for the people who are affected by drunk driving now and in the future. I’ve dedicated my activism in loving memory of my mother.”
Sometimes the simple things that we can do for victim/survivors and their families often have as great of an impact as the key services that MADD provides. This can be seen through the actions of a small group of passionate scrapbooking divas in Texas who wanted to help the best way they knew how—by making unique, one-of-a-kind cards for victim/survivors of drunk driving.
Karah Ricketts, Volunteer Coordinator for the Texas State Central Region, encountered this group in her quest for victim services volunteers. Their talents didn’t quite fit into the role that typical volunteers fill, but Karah wasn’t about to let their desire to help go unfulfilled. They came up with a unique way use their creative talents while providing a valuable service for victims.
This artistic group creates hand-made custom cards for MADD to use, in conjunction with the standard “We Care Card,” to reach out to victims and survivors letting them know that we are here for them. This initial correspondence with victim/survivors is so important during a time filled with overwhelming emotions. The volunteers hope that these cards let them know that someone is thinking about them, that someone cares.
In one afternoon the eight volunteers created more than 50 beautifully unique, handcrafted cards, and since then, over a dozen people have expressed interest in joining this card-making crew. The Central Texas office plans to have monthly gatherings for volunteers to assemble to create the cards, while other volunteers have continued making cards on their own for MADD. One of the volunteers said, “I have made 25 cards in the last week. This is the most fun time I have ever had as a volunteer with any nonprofit.”
While it may seem like a small gesture, the love and care that go into making each card will undoubtedly be felt by those who receive them.
We are encouraged to see that the Kansas Department of Transportation recently released preliminary data showing a dramatic drop in drunk driving deaths over the past year. In the year since a law went into effect on July 1, 2011, requiring all drunk driving offenders in Kansas to use an ignition interlock on their vehicles, the state is reporting 59 alcohol-related traffic fatalities—compared with 125 and 137, respectively, for the previous two years during the same timeframe.
Ignition interlocks, or in-car breathalyzers, require drunk drivers to prove they are sober before the car will start. Throughout the U.S., 17 states (plus a pilot program in California) have laws requiring the use of this technology for all convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders.
MADD would like to commend Kansas lawmakers, especially Senator Tim Owens, Representative Kay Wolf and Representative Pat Colloton, for their efforts to save lives and prevent injuries on the state’s roadways.
