Spring 2012 MADDvocate™
By
MADD
|
April 6, 2012
|
Filed in:
General
,
Victim Services
The Spring 2012 issue of MADDvocate is available. Read the latest issue of our online magazine that is helping survivors survive.
The Impact of a Victim Impact Panel
By
MADD
|
April 5, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
We recently received a letter from someone who attended of one of our Victim Impact Panels that confirms the work that we—and our wonderful team of volunteers—do, really can make an impact. It read:
“I would like to express my deepest and sincerest thanks to the speakers from the MADD VIP that I attended. I am embarrassed to say I was attending the class do to a DUI arrest on 12/15/11 and although this was my first time being arrested, sadly it wasn't my first time driving intoxicated. After my arrest I have felt many emotions but never anger. As I sat in that room and listened to everyone’s story, it became much more than just hearing them, I began to feel them. I became very heavy hearted and that's when I felt ANGER for the first time. Anger not for having to be there, or for all of the money I am paying, and not anger towards my privileges being taken away, but ANGER at myself. All I could do all night was think about how disappointed in myself I was. What if I had been the one to take a life. You see, I felt like they were talking straight to me, as I said before this was not my first time behind the wheel driving drunk.
In 2007, I left a bar after spending $700 on a bar tab and got in my Jeep at 3 a.m. and started home. Fifteen minutes later I hit a concrete light pole snapping it in three places and splitting my jeep in half. After spending 7 days in the hospital I was released, and even with news coverage and the suspicion of it being alcohol-related nothing ever happened, not even a ticket. I spent the next few weeks recovering at home thinking how lucky I was to be alive and that I didn't kill anyone, I said, ‘I will never do that again.’ Eight weeks after my accident I got a new car. Two weeks later I put my car in a culvert leaving the same bar. This time, I was cited for careless driving but no further action. I guess I felt, ‘wow, I'm a lucky girl to have beat the system twice’ and really didn't learn from my experience.
The night of my arrest I was leaving a Christmas party and didn't even think I was impaired, I blew a .19. Ever since that December day I have been an advocate to my friends about drinking and driving because I was concerned about all of the hoops you have to jump through and didn't want them to go through the same, but I was missing a bigger point. Although, from day one I knew and accepted anything that was going to happen to me because I knew I needed to be punished for what I had done, I didn't think about the other side of DUI. After last night they kept talking about just wanting to reach out and save one person. Well I think it was me. I am deeply affected by my experience and it has changed my life. I want to thank the speakers from the bottom of my heart; I will remember their stories forever. Thank you again for doing what you do—you do make a difference!”
Thank you to all of our VIP speakers, and everyone sharing your stories of loss and struggles. As you can see, sharing your story really can make a difference.
If you are interested in becoming a VIP speaker, please find your local office on our website and click the link to volunteer.
MADD Featured on Lifetime’s The Balancing Act
By
MADD
|
April 4, 2012
|
Filed in:
Power of Parents
,
Underage Drinking
This month, MADD will be sharing information about our Power of Parents™ program on Lifetime’s The Balancing Act. MADD National President Jan Withers joined host Danielle Knox and Ken Griffith, President of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to give parents tips on talking to their kids about alcohol for the show’s “Parent Teacher Corner.”
You can tune in on April 17th on Lifetime Television at 7:00 a.m. (ET/PT) to catch Jan and find out what you can do at home to stop underage drinking. Get ready for PowerTalk 21® day on April 21st—the national day for parents and kids to talk about alcohol—by watching this special segment and start crafting your game plan for having that lifesaving conversation with your kids.
**UPDATE 4/17: Watch the segment now**
The Ultimate Crash Avoidance System
By
Jan Withers
|
March 29, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
Today, Jan Withers wrote a blog for The Hill's Congress blog about the DADSS (Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety) program, titled: The Ultimate Crash Avoidance System. In the blog, Jan explains the DADSS program, how the technology works and why it is needed.
“Ignition interlocks now, supplemented by DADSS in the future, can take drunk driving from the front pages to the history books. While Congress disagrees on much, everyone can agree that eliminating drunk driving is a worthy goal, both in terms of human lives and cost savings. The potential return on investing $12 million per year to solve a $132 billion per year problem is a no brainer. MAP-21 sets the stage for the elimination of drunk driving. My goal—both personally and as MADD’s National President –is for there to be a day when there are no more victims of drunk driving.”
Read the full blog post here on thehill.com or read more about Jan Wither’s experience with DADSS from a blog about her trip to the DADSS laboratory. You can also learn more about the progress DADSS has made.
DADSS was also recently featured in the article, After the Party, a Car That Takes Away Your Keys, on the Wall Street Journal Online. The first line of the article says, "Friends don't let friends drive drunk. In the future, your car could be that friend." Read more of this article from the Wall Street Journal.
MADD Georgia Honors Officers
By
MADD
|
March 26, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
This week, more than 400 Georgia officers received much deserved recognition in the annual Golden Shield Honors hosted by MADD and the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The sacrifice made by those who help keep our road safe was brought to light even more this year after Officer Gail Thomas of the Atlanta Police Department was struck and killed by a drunk driver this past January.
While nothing we do can ever compensate these individuals have done to protect our families, MADD works hard to host similar events across the country. Law enforcement officers play a crucial role in MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. High visibility law enforcement like checkpoints and saturation patrols are proven to reduce drunk driving fatalities by 20 percent.
Don’t forget to thank the officers in your community. You never know when the life they save might be your own.
