Tie One On For Safety® This Holiday Season
By MADD | December 6, 2012 | Filed in: Drunk Driving

One of the most dangerous times of the year on our nation’s roadways is between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. That’s why every holiday season, MADD asks drivers to display a MADD Tie One On For Safety red ribbon on their vehicle as a reminder to drive safe, sober and buckled up.

Started in 1986, Tie One On For Safety is MADD’s longest running and most visible public awareness project. The phrase, “tie one on,” is sometimes used as slang for drinking, but at MADD, we use the phrase to remind everyone that drinking and driving don’t mix.

This holiday season, show your commitment to driving safe and sober by displaying a MADD red ribbon on your vehicle. Red ribbons, magnets and window decals (donated by SmartSign) are available through local MADD affiliates.

Or you can Tie One On For Safety “virtually” by sharing a TOOFS button on Facebook and other online social networks. Click on one of the buttons below to share them.

Special thanks to Nationwide Insurance for sponsoring this year’s Tie One On For Safety efforts.

Why We’re Here: Micheal Reinhardt
By MADD | December 5, 2012 | Filed in: Victim Stories

Micheal Anthony Reinhardt (Mike, for short) was a good kid, an honor student and was always happy.  He loved to play video games and spend time with his family and friends.  Mike was looking forward to graduating high school in 2000 and wanted to attend USF in Tampa, because he didn’t want to go too far from home.

Thursday, December 24, 1998 — Christmas Eve — Mike, age 16, was riding in a car with friends on their way to play pool.  One minute they were talking about going roller blading, and the next they were rear-ended by a drunk driver who had just been kicked out of a bar.  The driver, with a BAC of .18, was traveling at 70 MPH and the impact killed Mike instantly; no one else was injured.

Mike’s mother, Darlene Carothers, believed Mike was out of the country with his father at the time of the crash, so when police officers came to her door the next day, she thought it was a mistake.  But it wasn’t a mistake.  Mike was back in town and had been staying with friends. 

After the crash, Darlene was put in contact with MADD.  She says, “MADD was there for me every step of the way, through court hearings and with lots of hugs every time I cried.”  After two years of court, the drunk driver was sentenced to 17 years in prison.  Darlene says, “It won’t bring my son back, but it will keep another drunk driver off the streets.”

Darlene received the news on Christmas day that her son had been killed — a day she will never forget.  Since Mike’s death, she hasn’t been able to put up a tree or celebrate Christmas.

Please remember Mike, and all of the victims of drunk driving, as you celebrate this holiday season, and help us spread the word that drinking and driving don’t mix by participating in Tie One On For Safety®.

Visit Mike’s tribute page to read more, see more photos or make a donation in his honor.

Twenty-six years of Tie One On For Safety®
By Jan Withers | December 4, 2012 | Filed in: Drunk Driving

This is the time of year when more people are on the roads and incidents of drunk  driving increase.   That’s why MADD’s annual Tie One On For Safety campaign, now in its 26th year, encourages people to tie a red ribbon on their car, or attach a red ribbon magnet or window decal in a visible place on the vehicle, in an effort to remind everyone to drive safe, sober and buckled up.

I remember clearly the very first thing I did as a local MADD volunteer.  It was only about six months after my daughter, Alisa, was killed by a drunk driver.  I wanted to do “something” to make a difference and give back to MADD, and to show my gratitude for the unwavering support they had given me.  The director of my local MADD office knew my grief was still very raw, so she gently asked if I would mind helping distribute red ribbons.  My family and I literally took thousands of MADD red ribbons and stapled them to cards with information about MADD. It was so therapeutic to know we were doing “something” to make a difference.

All the schools in the area were requesting ribbons that would be given to students to take home, so their parents could tie them on their car antennae.  Back in the MADD office, several volunteers and I counted and packaged the ribbons into brown bags, 500 per bag.   We then stuffed our cars to the ceiling with these bags, took our trusty maps and delivered them to the schools.  It was quite an undertaking.

That awareness was invaluable for our children.  Even before Alisa was killed, I remember my children bringing the MADD red ribbons home from school during this time of year.   Let me tell you, if I didn’t get that red ribbon on the car as soon as they thought I should, my children certainly let me know about it.  Luckily, I had three school-aged children, because when the ribbon became frayed from the weather, I had two more!  

Today, I look at my car and wonder where I could possibly tie a ribbon… but thank goodness for magnets and window decals!   They are still a very visual reminder for all of us to drive sober.

I hope you will contact your local MADD office to get a red ribbon, magnet or window decal for your vehicle, to remind everyone to drive safe, sober and buckled up this holiday season.

Click here to learn how you can to participate Tie One On For Safety.

National Impaired Driving Prevention Month 2012
By MADD | December 3, 2012 | Filed in: Drugged Driving , Drunk Driving

The month of December is one of the busiest on the nation’s roadways, and also one of the most dangerous, due to a high incidence of alcohol and drug-related traffic crashes.  During December 2010, 25 people were killed in drunk driving crashes per day on average.

December has been designated National Impaired Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.  In issuing his proclamation, President Obama urges all Americans to “make responsible decisions and take appropriate measures to preventimpaired driving.” Click here to read the proclamation.

MADD has these tips to help ensure everyone’s safety this holiday season:

• If your plans involve alcohol, plan ahead for a safe way home. Even one too many drinks increases the risk of a crash. Designate a sober driver, Give the Gift of a Designated Driver®, or arrange another safe way home. 
• If you’ve been drinking use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member or use public transportation.
• If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. Your actions may save someone’s life. 
• Always buckle up, drive with caution, and don’t hesitate to call 911 to report a suspected drunk driver. Just because you made the right decision to drive sober, others on the road may not have. 

No one thinks that their holiday celebration will end in tragedy. But for those who include alcohol in their celebrations and then get behind the wheel, this is too often the case. Drunk driving deaths and injuries are 100% preventable, so do your part this holiday season by choosing to drive safe and sober and help others do the same. 

Light a Virtual Candle for Your Loved Ones
By MADD | November 30, 2012 | Filed in: Drunk Driving , Victim Services

Behind every drunk driving statistic is a person whose life was full of family and friends, love and life, joy and laughter.  They are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Their lives touched so many and they will never be forgotten.

This holiday season, we are asking everyone to take part in our online celebration of life candlelight vigil, and light a virtual candle in honor of a loved one who was killed or injured in a drunk driving crash.

You can share their story or write them a message, and light a candle in their honor or memory. Participate in our online tribute by lighting your virtual candle now.