The Heart and Soul of MADD
By
MADD
|
January 7, 2013
|
Filed in:
Victim Services
With the holidays being a difficult time for people coping with loss, and the fact that more people are killed in drunk driving crashes on New Year’s Day than any other day of the year, it’s no surprise that we see a significant increase in calls to MADD’s Victim/Survivor Helpline in January.
Victim Services is the heart of MADD. We have more than 1,400 trained victim advocates nationwide who can help bereaved families and injured victims/survivors by:
- Providing emotional support
- Providing advocacy in the criminal and civil justice systems
- Accompanying victims/survivors to court
- Assisting in preparing a victim impact statement
- Referring victims/survivors to appropriate resources for additional help
- Offering support groups in many areas
- Connecting victims/survivors who share similar experiences
- Providing supportive materials on victimization topics
It may surprise you to know that many of MADD’s victim advocates are volunteers — caring individuals who spend their time making sure that victims can get the help they need, when they need it. Some lost a loved one in a drunk driving crash and decided to put their tragic experience and acquired knowledge to use by helping others; others saw the need in their community and wanted to help.
Volunteers are the soul of MADD. It is their compassion and determination that drives the organization and it is their tireless efforts that have accomplished so much. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer victim advocate, or to get more information about other volunteer opportunities, find your state here and fill out the volunteer form.
DADSS Featured on CBS
By
MADD
|
January 4, 2013
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) program is a key element of MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® and is the result of a cooperative agreement between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the world’s leading automakers, working through the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety. The project’s goal is to develop an inexpensive, publicly-supported and extremely accurate technology that passively senses if a driver is at or above the illegal limit of .08 BAC. If the driver is drunk, the DADSS technology would prevent the vehicle from starting.
We continue to look forward to the day when there are no more drunk driving deaths or injuries, and DADSS has the potential to eliminate drunk driving once and for all. Please join us in the fight by pledging to support the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving and its three vital components today.
MADD Board Member on NBC Nightly News
By
MADD
|
January 3, 2013
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
MADD Board Member Nina Walker shares the story of her daughter, Ginger, on NBC Nightly News.
Ignition Interlocks are a key component of MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. Ignition interlocks are critical to eliminating drunk driving, as a majority of convicted drunk drivers will continue to drive on a suspended license. States that are enforcing all-offender ignition interlock laws, such as Arizona and Oregon, have cut DUI deaths in half, largely due to comprehensive interlock laws requiring all drunk drivers receive the device.
Currently 17 states require interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers – Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington. If you are a resident of one of the other 33 states, contact your legislators and tell them you support saving lives and eliminating repeat drunk driving offenses by requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted DUI offenders.
