Education: The First Line of Defense Against Drunk Driving (Guest Blog)
By Guest Blogger | March 19, 2012 | Filed in: Drugged Driving

This is a guest blog post from I DRIVE SAFELY, the leader in the online driver training industry, offering Online Traffic School/ Defensive Driving, Teen and Adult Drivers Ed and Insurance Reduction courses.  

Strict enforcement of drunk driving laws is an essential part of an overall public safety policy. However, every time an intoxicated driver stumbles during a field sobriety test or a police cruiser pulls over a car swerving wildly across multiple lanes, it signals that something has already gone horribly wrong. Either those intoxicated drivers simply did not understand just how much danger they were putting themselves and others in by driving drunk, or else they didn’t understand the severity of the consequences of getting caught.

Thus, the best way to fight against drinking and driving is to educate people about its dangers. The good news is that there are already in place many opportunities for people to improve their knowledge on drinking and driving, and how to avoid doing it.

Teen Drivers Ed

Because teens get their licenses when they are 16, but they don’t start drinking until they are 21, there is a fundamental disconnect between driver education and alcohol education. By the time people can legally start drinking, many of them have been driving for five years, and it is unlikely that they’ll be returning to driving class to learn about the dangers of drunk driving. This is why making drunk driving education a fundamental part of general teen driver’s educationas teens prepare to get their learners permits and driver licenses is essential. When budding drivers understand just how serious and dangerous driving can be, and the ways that alcohol compounds those dangers several fold, they will be more likely to make better decisions and avoid drinking and driving when they become drinking age.

Further, simply knowing that a sound and sober mind is a prerequisite for safe driving should be treated as fundamental driving knowledge, as much as knowing how to change lanes or parallel park. It only makes sense that alcohol education be a core part of every driver’s first driver training.

Advertising Campaigns

Of course, even mature adults suffer lapses in judgment. After five, ten, fifteen or more years after they’ve taken driver’s ed, their memory about the dangers of drunk driving can get a little hazy. Fortunately, mass media ad campaigns can reach a significant chunk of the driving population through magazine, television and radio campaigns, which can help remind adult drivers what it means to drive responsibly. Anti drunk driving advertisements by nonprofit groups like the Ad Council have even spawned famous, memorable slogans like “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.”

Educating Traffic Violators

Most states in the US have a traffic school or defensive drivingprogram. These educational programs usually give drivers an opportunity to remove a citation from their driver record by taking a four, six, or eight hour course on the fundamentals of driving safety.

This is of course gives the perfect opportunity to remind people of the risk drunk driving poses to their personal safety, the safety of others on the road, and their driving privileges. By learning about the seriousness of drunk driving alongside other driving safety topics, traffic law violators can be reminded just how much is at stake.

What Can You Do?

If you have a teenager, ask your child’s high school what role alcohol education plays into teen drivers ed.

Check to see if your state has a statewide defensive driving program, and write to your congressman expressing how important it is make sure traffic violators get educated on the dangers of drinking and driving.

And as always, if you feel that a friend or family member might be engaging in risky behavior, take the opportunity to let them know how much you care about them and how much they stand to lose by driving intoxicated.

National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
By MADD | December 5, 2011 | Filed in: Drugged Driving , Drunk Driving

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 asked all Americans to “recommit to preventing tragedy before it strikes by ensuring our family members and friends stay safe, sober, and drug-free on the road.” Click here to read the proclamation. (Read more about our partnership with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and our Drugged Driving Initiative here).

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 2009, there were 753 people killed in traffic crashes that involved a drunk driver.

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

• Designate a sober driver before celebrations begin;
• Plan safe parties, including providing non-alcoholic drink options to guests and not serving alcohol the last hour of the gathering;
• Never serve alcohol to those under the age of 21;
• If you’ve been drinking, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;
• If you see an impaired driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement;
• If you know someone who is about to drive or ride with a driver who is impaired, take the driver’s keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Remember, impaired driving crashes are 100% preventable. Do your part this holiday season by choosing not to drive impaired and help others do the same. 

Putting A Face on the Issue of Drugged Driving
By MADD | October 19, 2011 | Filed in: Drugged Driving , Victim Services

Kelsey

Stephanie Call was a normal mother like any other. Her children were bright and full of spirit. They attended a private school and had all the potential in the world for success. Her family was full of love; and as a mother, Stephanie had much to be proud of.

That is, until Stephanie’s life was turned upside down. On a day that started out like any other day, her daughter, Kelsey, got into a car driven by her friend’s mom and headed to school. Suddenly, a driver under the influence of prescription drugs crossed the median in the road and struck their vehicle, killing all three occupants.  The driver pled guilty, but Stephanie and her family still feel the loss every day.

“I have a gaping hole in my heart that will never heal,” Stephanie says.

Stephanie at the  Drugged Driving launch in Washington, D.C.

Now, Stephanie is working to make sure that nobody has to experience that same kind of loss again. At an event held by MADD in Washington, D.C., Stephanie shared her story in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of drugged driving on our nation’s roads. While MADD has always provided support to drugged driving victims who were referred to us, at the event with the help of Stephanie, MADD formally announced a nationally coordinated effort to reach out and support these victims in addition to our continued focus on serving victims of drunk driving.

You can play a part as well.  A victim advocate helped Stephanie’s family deal with the aftermath of a drugged driving crash.  But, we need your help to make sure that other drugged driving victims can also receive support. Make a donation or find out how you can become a trained victim advocate.  Because, while the substances differ, the consequences are the same—needless deaths and injuries.

Drugged Driving: A Growing Threat on Our Roadways
By Jan Withers | October 13, 2011 | Filed in: Drugged Driving , General , National President , Victim Services

For more than 30 years, MADD has worked hard to put a face to the statistics.  Study after study shows what happens when alcohol and driving are mixed — tragedy.  But while drunk driving remains one of the primary threats on America’s roadways, alcohol isn’t the only drug that causes heartbreak on our roadways.  We are also seeing a growing trend of poly-abuse (both alcohol and other drugs) and drugged driving crashes.  Although the substances are different, the consequences are the same — needless deaths and injuries. 

Just ask Hollywood Ruch and Stephanie Call.  Both are speaking at today’s event after personally being impacted by drivers under the influence of drugs. 

Here’s what we’re up against according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Roughly one in eight weekend, nighttime drivers tested positive for illicit drugs.
• In 2009, of the drivers who were killed in motor vehicle crashes (and were subsequently tested and had results reported), one in three tested positive for drugs.
• One in ten high school seniors self-reported that in the last two weeks they had driven a car after using marijuana.

The ripple effects after a crash are as deep as they are wide.  At MADD, we like to say: first there is the crash … then there is the impact.  That is why since our founding, MADD has provided support to victims and survivors of drunk driving crashes.  After my daughter Alisa died, I turned to MADD for help.  And what I found was that not only did I get help, I got hope too. 

For the past 17 years, I’ve personally served as a victim advocate and have worked with hundreds of families, some of which lost their loved ones to a drugged driver.   Each case is as heartbreaking as the next. 

While MADD has been providing support for those victims and survivors of drugged driving crashes who have been referred to or have reached out to MADD, until now, MADD has not made specific national efforts to reach these underserved victims. Today, in recognition of the growing problem of poly-abuse and drugged driving, we are announcing alongside the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy the launch of a national coordinated effort to reach out to the underserved and growing number of drugged driving victims in the country.

Corporal David Andracsik

In addition to victim services, MADD will also begin honoring those law enforcement officers who are pioneers in discovering effective strategies for recognizing drugged driving. At MADD, we believe that recognizing officers who make significant contributions to ending drugged driving is key to raising awareness about this growing threat to American families.

Starting this year, an award, known as the ‘MADD Hero Award for Drugged Driving Enforcement,’ will be awarded biannually to a law enforcement agency, individual or group that has made significant contributions toward getting drugged drivers off of the nation’s roadways.  I am proud today to share that the first winner of the MADD Hero Award for Drugged Driving Enforcement is Corporal David Andracsik of the Pennsylvania State Police Department Bureau of Patrol.  We thank Corporal Andracsik for all he has done to help protect people and prevent injuries.

You can help support this exciting new aspect to our organization’s ongoing efforts to save lives and serve people.  Make a donation or find out how you can become a trained victim advocate.  MADD needs people like you to push our lifesaving mission forward.