DUI on Discovery Fit & Health
By
MADD
|
July 23, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
On Tuesday, July 24, Discovery Fit & Health will premiere the series, DUI, on their network. The documentary-style show follows the Oklahoma Highway Patrol as they find and arrest people driving drunk, and tells the stories of the alleged offenders and their families.
Drunk driving is the most frequently committed violent crime in the U.S. In 2009, more than 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That's less than one percent of the 147 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.
We applaud Discovery Fit & Health for showcasing the lifesaving work of our heroes in law enforcement, bringing awareness to the issue of drunk driving, and showing the consequences of this violent crime.
Click here to learn more about the series or see photos from filming.
Contact your Representative to Help Protect Crime Victims' Rights
By
MADD
|
July 19, 2012
|
Filed in:
General
,
Victim Services
We need your help to give crime victims the rights they deserve, but time is running out. Please call or email your United States Representative today and urge him or her to co-sponsor House Joint Resolution 106 (H. J. Res. 106), a proposed U.S. Constitutional Amendment for Victims’ Rights.
This amendment would protect the vital rights of crime victims to be notified of proceedings, to be present at proceedings, and to be heard on important decisions. Right now, every state has statutory laws and most states have state constitutional amendments protecting victims' rights, but these laws are ineffective.
Even in states giving "strong protection" to victims’ rights, fewer than 60 percent of the victims were notified of the sentencing hearing and fewer than 40 percent were notified of the pretrial release of the defendant. This is largely because defendant rights are enshrined in the federal Constitution – 23 separate rights in all – but victims' rights are state-based.
The only way that crime victims’ rights will be protected is to even the playing field through a federal constitutional amendment—House Joint Resolution 106.
At least 100 co-sponsors are needed to move it forward as the legislative session draws to a close. So please contact your representative today by phone or email. Your voice matters!
Click here to find your U.S. Representative's contact information, or click here to email them through madd.org.
Anniversary of 21
By
MADD
|
July 17, 2012
|
Filed in:
Power of Parents
,
Underage Drinking
Today, on its 28th anniversary, we celebrate the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age law, which has saved more than 25,000 lives and continues to prevent tragedies.
You may have heard a variety of arguments against the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age: “Lowering the drinking age will encourage more responsible drinking”, “Europeans let their kids drink at an early age, yet they do not have the alcohol-related problems we do”, and “if I’m old enough to go to war, I should be old enough to drink.” But none of these are true. Click here to see the facts behind these myths.
The age limit for alcohol is based on research which shows that young people react differently to alcohol. Teens get drunk twice as fast as adults, but have more trouble knowing when to stop. Teens naturally overdo it and binge more often than adults. Enforcing the legal drinking age of 21 reduces traffic crashes, protects young people’s maturing brains, and keeps young people safer overall. Click here to find out more reasons to support 21.
But it takes more than a law to keep our kids safe. Parents have the power to help kids make healthy decisions. In fact, research shows that parents are the primary influence on their kids’ decisions about whether or not to drink alcohol. That’s why MADD launched the Power of Parents™ program. The goal of the program is to educate parents about the dangers of underage drinking and give them the tools they need to start talking with their kids about alcohol. The program has two major parts:
- A website for parents that includes information and tips based on the best available research, along with access to a free parent handbook.
- Free parent workshops to equip parents with strategies for having these potentially lifesaving conversations.
MADD knows that informed, caring parents can make a difference, and we’re here to help. So today, in honor of the anniversary of the 21 drinking legal drinking age, talk with your kids about the dangers of underage drinking. Start by visit the parent section of our website to get the handbook and other tips and expert resources for talking with your kids about alcohol.
Recording Artist Sara G Supports MADD
By
MADD
|
July 17, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
,
General
,
Underage Drinking
Summer can be a dangerous time both on America’s roadways, and for teens on summer vacation. That’s why we are working hard this summer to stop the preventable deaths and injuries resulting from drunk driving and underage drinking. We’ve teamed up with recording artist and former Miss World Canada Sara G and her single “Call Me A Cab,” to create MADD PSAs. These PSAs reminds summer revelers to always designate a sober driver before they go out, as well as additional PSAs letting kids know that drinking underage isn’t cool—it’s dangerous.
Listen to the PSAs now:
15 second drunk driving PSA | 30 second drunk driving PSA
20 second underage drinking PSA | 30 second underage drinking PSA
We would also like to thank Sara G for donating 29 cents for each download of the single “Call Me A Cab” purchased off of iTunes now through October 31st. Learn more.
Thanks to Sara G and Inasense Records for making our roads safer this summer.
MADD Celebrates Missouri’s Passage of Lifesaving Ignition Interlock Legislation
By
MADD
|
July 11, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
Yesterday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed into law a bill that requires all convicted drunk drivers use ignition interlocks on their vehicles to prevent future offenses. Missouri is the 17th state in the nation to require all drunk driving offenders use ignition interlocks and now more than 100 million people live in states with all-offender interlock laws, meaning we are one-third of the way to our goal of helping keep every American safer as a result of these lifesaving laws.
Studies show that a first-time convicted drunk driver is not a first-time offender, but rather it is simply the first time they have been caught. In fact, first-time offenders have driven drunk an average of 80 times before they are convicted.
Requiring all convicted drunk drivers to use ignition interlocks to prove they are sober before they can start their vehicles has been shown to save lives and stop drunk driving. In Arizona and Oregon, for example, laws requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers have contributed significantly to the number of drunk driving deaths dropping 51 and 52 percent, respectively.
Learn more about ignition interlocks and the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®.
