Gifts of Love
By Jan Withers | September 8, 2011 | Filed in: Drunk Driving , General , National President

Last weekend in Virginia Beach was indescribably wonderful.

Gift of Gratitude:  A ballroom full of law enforcement professionals were honored by  MADD Southside Virginia, presenting awards for the officers’ commitment to saving lives in preventing drunk drivers from populating the roadways.   I was taken with how excited and appreciative they were to be recognized for their hard work.

Gift of Dedication:  Kaye and Bob Walsh are dedicated to saving lives after their daughter, Robin, was killed by a multiple repeat drunk driver.  They both quit their jobs in order to fully pursue effective means to stop this violent crime.  These two MADD volunteers began a court monitoring program that is now a model for the country.  Their efforts are credited by the city of Virginia Beach for significant reduction in drunk driving last year.  In addition, the Navy recognizes their contribution in reducing drunk driving on the Naval Base by 30%.  That’s pretty powerful tributes to Robin’s legacy!

Gifts of Love:  The volunteers gathered the following day to share and exchange ideas.   The love as well as mutual respect was profound. 
Krystle Burke and Alex Owens were so proud that we pulled off surprising Bob and Kaye with an award at the banquet.   As Kaye said, “You made me do the ugly cry.”  That’s the ultimate compliment.   Krystle and Alex donate their time and talents because of their beliefs, big hearts, and desire to never be personally affected by drunk driving.   
Susan Newton was severely injured by someone impaired by alcohol and drugs.  She steadfastly speaks at victim impact panels in order to influence convicted drunk drivers how victims of the crime are affected.  She, along with all the MADD volunteers, does whatever is needed to stop the carnage of this crime.
Bobbie's husband is a police officer.  She came with her daughter just to share with us how much the ceremony and recognition meant to the officers and how much they appreciate the partnership with the MADD volunteers.

Sharon and Steve Etzell's beautiful daughter, Laura, was killed only two years ago by a drunk driver.   They relay how Bob and Kaye have loved them to the healthy place they are now.  Kaye has been known to have them come over just to eat a bowl of soup she makes for them and take a nap.  She says, “No, we didn’t do anything – you two have done all the hard work.”  

Before they left, Sharon gently handed me the most beautiful bracelet to keep.  She first created many of these bracelets to donate to their Walk Like MADD as a way to raise revenue.  Steve said they would be up late at night stringing the beads together.   I feel so privileged.  I not only will keep this gift, I am wearing it with joy and treasure it with love, always remembering Laura.  I like to think she is dancing with my Alisa now, as they care for their many kitties together.

Gifts of Love:  Our MADD family is so inspiring, so uplifting and so loving.   I left feeling embraced and wanting more.   What a gift!

Warmly,
Jan Withers,  MADD National President

Labor Day Weekend Drive Safe and Sober
By Jan Withers | September 1, 2011 | Filed in: Drunk Driving , General , National President

We are on our way to Virginia Beach to join with MADD Southside Virginia in honoring their law enforcement officers for their efforts to fight drunk driving. Clearly the Labor Day weekend traffic has begun. Our highway safety officials are warning us to Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. This symbolizes the last weekend of the summer when families frequently share the time together. The roads are jammed with cars filled with families.

We at MADD just want you to enjoy the time by planning a way home with a sober driver. My own daughter was killed when she was only 15, her life cut short before it began. Be sure no one you love has their life cut short by someone who chooses to drink and drive. Jan Withers....MADD President

Planes, Automobiles, Ferries, and Horse-Drawn Carriages
By Jan Withers | August 30, 2011 | Filed in: Drunk Driving , General , National President , Victim Services

 Flying into Traverse City, Michigan we seemed to float on one layer of fluffy clouds and were gently protected with a layer above. The setting sun was a cranberry red, sending its rays across the cottony sky, gleaming off Lake Michigan and making it sparkle like rose-colored diamonds. I wondered if this where the angels dance?

Any potential trepidation of driving two hours to Mackinaw City where I was to board a ferry to magical Mackinac Island flew out the window with the cool Michigan country air.

Mackinac Island is a journey back in time. Victorian homes wave to ferry travelers from the hillsides and the unmistakable smell of horses greets visitors at the dock, for no automobiles are on the island. Instead the taxi that greeted me was a horse-drawn carriage. The Grand Hotel crowns the island in graceful splendor since 1887, still pampering its guests in romantic elegant fashion.

The true joy of the trip were the wonderful people of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan. Ken Stecker and Marcia Beatty were most gracious hosts, making sure every need (even when I had no needs - I was in heaven) were cared for.

Culminating the visit was a celebration of honorees at the PAAM Conference Banquet. I felt extremely humbled to partner with Mike Prince, Director of Michigan Highway Safety Planning, in presenting the David M. Schieber MADD Michigan Lifesaver Award to Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Athina Siringas. She successfully prosecuted a driver who was impaired with a 0.26 BAC while driving over 100 mph. He hit and killed a 24-year-old young woman traveling home from babysitting.

APA Siringas shared that the victim's mother asked her to not let her daughter die in vain. She asked her to simply seek justice. That is what APA Siringas did. She obtained a conviction of second degree murder as well as OWI causing death. For that I applaud Ms. Siringas.

On behalf of drunk driving victims, I offer our gratitude for treating the offense as a serious crime. It is still distressing that today our society too often treats killing someone while driving drunk as an accident instead of the violent and offensive crime it is.

I see the future with advanced technology putting an end to it. If that doesn't work, I like the idea of going back to the horse-drawn carriage days. What a peaceful thought.

Jan Withers
MADD National President

DADSS Turning Cars Into the Cure for Drunk Driving
By Jan Withers | August 15, 2011 | Filed in: Drunk Driving , National President

Hope. I love that word. I cherish the concept. I treasure the feeling. There were so many days after my daughter was killed by a drunk driver that I felt buried in the dark hole of despair, when I could see no possibility of light. It was a difficult climb to the surface, one I could never have made on my own. One person who held the light on for me until I could see it myself was my MADD victim advocate, always there to care, listen, and support.

Anger also accompanied my despair. I was furious with our society. How could we allow this violent crime to exist? It is so preventable. It is so unnecessary. I became vocal, actively participating with MADD to get "tougher" laws, believing that would become a deterrent so more folks would decide to drive sober or have a sober designated driver. Sadly, after a few years I became disheartened. The number of America's family members killed by drunk driving stayed relatively the same. My hope was waning. In fact, I was downright discouraged.

Some people continue to drive drunk because they can. Interestingly, because all the education and deterrents and punishments do not seem to stop the drunks from driving, we now have the development of advanced technology that will turn the cars into the cure.

Today my hope is renewed. We are living in the time when the vaccine to this horrible disease of drunk driving and the destruction it leaves in its path is being created and tested. Right now....as you read this....it is happening!

JT Griffin, MADD's Senior Vice-President of Public Policy, and I recently were privileged to visit the laboratory where it is being researched in Boston. Bud Zaouk (the gentleman with the dark hair you see in the photos) graciously educated and escorted us through the facility. It was inspiring.

The technology is called Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, or DADSS. It is a technology that will integrate a passive sensor into the vehicle, being able to detect the precise amount of alcohol in the driver's system. If that driver is at or above the legal limit of 0.08 BAC, the car simply will not start, or be driveable. The performance specifications are set at an extremely high level. It must perform absolutely accurately, precisely, reliably and work in a very short time (millisecond). This is now being tested for vehicle integration and consumers will have the option of purchasing a car with it already part of the package - much the way we had the option of having air bags in our vehicles years ago when they became available. It will not be mandated.

The DADSS is not to be confused with today's alcohol ignition interlock systems that convicted drunk drivers are sometimes required to place in their vehicles. They certainly are an effective tool in reducing drunk driving. In states requiring those for all convicted drunk drivers, fatalities caused by drunk driving have been reduced by over 30%. However, they are calibrated at a lower level of 0.02 BAC, because a person convicted of drunk driving is not allowed to have any alcohol while driving.

DADSS program is studying two prototypes. One is distant spectrometry, which uses infrared sensors that are triangulated on the person in the driver's seat. The other uses tissue spectrometry, which uses near infrared light that will perhaps be imbedded in the start button or the gear shift.

It was astonishing to have the mechanisms explained and demonstrated, indicating how very close we are to having this become part of our everyday reality...which means to me, to have the cars be the cure...which means that there will be a day when the car will simply not allow a person to drive it when impaired by alcohol at or above the legal limit.

The DADSS project is funded by our National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. MADD is now urging Congress to support the ROADS SAFE Act, which will lengthen the time of funding this important research.

THIS WILL SAVE SO MANY LIVES. This is my hope. I hope it becomes your hope. Do call or email your Congressperson and tell them you want them to support this life-saving legislation. It very well could save the life of someone you love.

Warmly,

Jan Withers
National MADD President

Drunk Driving Can Be a Form of Child Endangerment
By Jan Withers | July 20, 2011 | Filed in: Drunk Driving , National President , Power of Parents , Victim Services

Last week was a whirlwind of activities. I was honored to meet with Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation and David Strickland, Administrator of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Not only do they clearly care about the pain that drunk driving causes so many people in this country, they also are inspiring leaders seeking science-driven approaches to eliminate drunk driving. Indeed, they support MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving and when we celebrate the 5th anniversary of our Campaign on Nov. 16th, Secretary LaHood and Administrator Strickland will be present.

Our public policy team and I also met with the Honorable Debbie Hersman, Director of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Honorable Mark Rosekind, NTSB Board Member. For those who don't know, NTSB investigates major crashes, such as airline and rail crashes. They also make safety recommendations based on proven research and are committed to working with MADD to make endorsements of science-driven methods that reduce the dangers of impaired driving on our roads.

The moments that are always the most significant to me are ones in which I am privileged to connect with others who don't necessarily have prominent positions and are courageously working to make a difference. Many of you are following our Carl McDonald in his blog, "In Search of Warmer Summers," as he cycles across the country with his sister, Sallie. Each day they dedicate their ride to a person who has been killed or injured by drunk driving. Yesterday, they reached their finish line in Astoria, Oregon. They rode 4,769 miles. Amazing!

Carl touches my soul daily as I open a new entry in his adventure. Carl's precious little daughter, Carlie, was killed while traveling in the vehicle with an intoxicated driver. Even now as I write this my heart is filled with tears of empathy for him, knowing he now endures a lifetime without her. Too many of us live this same nightmare. We connect with Carl in a very real way. I am also filled with admiration and inspiration as he turns his energy into making a difference so others might survive.

He says he is going to continue blogging. He has committed to raising $20,000 for MADD as he raises awareness of drunk driving dangers during their excursion. He has not reached that goal, so if you find it in your heart to give, please do so. Your gift will help save lives. I can't think of anything more important. Just visit http://www.madd.org/ and you will see a link to Carl's blog. You may donate there.

Ron Claiborne, a reporter with ABC World News and anchor of the weekend edition of Good Morning America, met up with Carl and is doing a news segment about Carl's journey and his message. (We will make every effort to get the date and time it will air to you when we find out. Keep watching for it.) Ron then spoke with me to learn more about this topic of child endangerment. MADD considers driving impaired with a child passenger to be a form of child abuse.

Before that interview, I called my Iowa friend, Julie VanderWel, to ask if I could share her story with Ron. Her precious Gavin was killed when he was just ten years old while riding in the car with an adult, who Julie said had a blood alcohol concentation at twice the legal limit. He drove the wrong way down the road, hitting an oncoming car. He had two prior DUI's. Gavin's story is why MADD is working so hard to have every state in the nation require ignition interlocks for all convicted offenders. You are looking at little Gavin Wrather's picture above.

I first met Julie at our 30th Anniversary National Conference in Washington, DC last summer. She was alone and said she felt lost. Her heartbreak was palpable. We became instant friends and inseparable those few days and knew our friendship was permanent. Watching everyone in our MADD family embrace her with love and hold her up was so fulfilling. Nothing compares with the love, the mutual support, and the hope it offers. Julie told me that what she received at that conference gave her the hope to go on.

Gavin died two years ago on July 26th. When Julie answered the phone, I asked the usual, "How are you?" I could hear the struggle in her voice as she replied, "Anxious. The second anniversary of Gavin's death is approaching and I dread it. I am having a rough time. Sometimes I wonder if the anticipation is worse than the actual day."

I did tell Ron Claiborne about Gavin in the interview. Carl and Carlie, Julie and Gavin are why we make a loud noise. Did you know that 2 out of 3 children killed by a drunk driver are in the same vehicle with that driver? We cry out demanding that our society steps up to protect our children from this violent crime.

Julie is so right about the anticipation. Weeks leading up to that horrible day can be agonizing. My experience has been to make a plan for that day. Many of us who first tried to avoid thinking about it often say that we suffer less when we acknowledge it by doing something special. I have friends with whom we go to the cemetery each year, send up balloons, share fun stories about their loved one and if the occasion happens to be their birthday, we eat birthday cake. My point is, whatever works for you, just do it.

Our strength comes from our pain. Our strength becomes even more powerful when we speak with one voice - when our nation hears our united call to protect our families. Carl McDoanld, in his unassuming quiet manner, is helping to make our nation take notice. Julie, too, is now making a difference. Along with MADD, she has begun a campaign in Iowa, by erecting billboards with Gavin's picture and message: "THINK before you drink and drive. One Less Smile.....Gavin 1999-2009." Julie, in her unassuming quiet manner is helping to make our nation take notice. Carl and Julie are amazing, as are so many of you speaking in this united voice. Let us never stop until drunk driving is eliminated.