Announcing the winner of the Tie One On For Safety® Infographic contest! Congratulations Joni Graves from the Wisconsin LTAP (Local Technical Assistance Program) at the University of Wisconsin – Madison! Learn more about Tie One On For Safety®, MADD's longest running and most visible public awareness project, at www.madd.org/toofs.
Ken Watson was a bright, intelligent boy who made a bad choice when he accepted a ride from someone he barely knew. As a result, he was killed on October 16, 1981—just days after his 14th birthday.
The young man who was driving the car Ken got into that night had been drinking, even though he was underage. He was speeding and ran a stop sign. The car crested a hill and went airborne for 76 feet, and when it landed, it burst into flames. The driver escaped, but Ken was trapped in the car and was burned alive. He was burned over 99 percent of his body. He suffered no other injuries other than the burns.
At MADD’s National Conference this year, Andie Rehkamp, Ken’s mother and now a MADD Victim Advocate, shared her experience with the criminal justice system in support of the Victims Rights’ Constitutional Amendment. She described how she and her husband were instructed to not speak, or they could be held in contempt of court. The driver’s family was allowed to speak at length about what “a great guy” her son’s killer was and how devastating a strict sentence would be to them, but Ken’s name was not mentioned at all. They were not allowed to give a victim impact statement.
Andie said, “I have assisted thousands of victims and their families in the last 31 years and although there have been many changes and improvements, today there are still victims that do not receive notifications of court proceedings, are not consulted before a plea bargain is offered or given the opportunity to give an oral victim impact statement at sentencing. Now is the time to enact the Victim Rights’ Constitutional Amendment.”
Watch the video of Andie’s emotional speech from conference to hear her tragic story in her own words:
A recently-released Supreme Judicial Court study report shows that the Massachusetts judicial system is putting lives at risk on its roadways. The study shows astonishingly high acquittal rates when drunk driving cases go to trial, with issues of defendants using “judge shopping” tactics, defense attorneys arguing timeframe technicalities for BAC testing, and courts not allowing a defendant’s refusal of a BAC test to be admitted as evidence.
Watch the Boston Globe video to learn more:
The current system in Massachusetts is broken, and MADD urges legislators to make critical improvements to save lives and prevent injuries, including requiring all convicted drunk drivers to use ignition interlocks for at least six months.
Ignition interlocks are far more effective in reducing drunk driving than license suspension alone, since 50 to 75 percent of people continue to drive with a suspended license. Offenders can continue driving to work or school with an interlock on their vehicle, while also learning to drive sober. In fact, ignition interlocks have been found to reduce repeat drunk driving offenses by two-thirds, and are a key part of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. States such as Oregon and Arizona have seen their drunk driving fatalities cut in half since requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers.
If you are a Massachusetts resident, click here to contact your legislators asking them to support ignition interlocks for all offenders. Or, click here to see if your state is one of the 33 states that do not require ignition interlocks for all offenders and take action!
Nighttime is always a dangerous time on the road, but Halloween can be particularly scary night because of the number of drunk drivers on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 41 percent of all highway fatalities throughout the nation during the Halloween period in 2010 involved a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher.
The scariest part of Halloween isn’t the spooky costumes and scary pranks. It’s the fact that all too often people don’t plan ahead for a safe way home before drinking alcohol. Every year we hear stories, like Jean Dyess or Jessica Fraire, of Halloween celebrations turned tragic for innocent pedestrians enjoying the holiday. So this Halloween, MADD urges both partygoers and trick-or-treaters to plan ahead to keep everyone safe.
Attending a party:
Designate a sober driver to make sure you—and everyone with you—arrive home safely on Halloween.
Save the number of a local cab service in your phone prior to heading out.
Consider hiring a shuttle or limousine service to transport you and your friends to and from your event.
Arrange a hotel stay for you and your friends on the evening of the event so no one drives home impaired.
Hosting a Halloween party:
Never serve alcohol to those under the age of 21.
Plan safe parties, including providing non-alcoholic drink options to guests and not serving alcohol during the last hour of the party.
Provide plenty of food to keep your guests from drinking on an empty stomach.
Avoid too many salty snacks, which tend to make people thirsty and drink more.
Be prepared to get everyone home safe in case your plans change by having the number of a taxi service on hand for those who need a ride.
Going trick-or-treating:
Be extra alert when crossing the street.
Wear bright, reflective clothing or add reflective tape to costumes and treat buckets.
Bring a flashlight (with extra batteries) so you can see and be seen at night.
Remember to put safety before the celebration this Halloween by designating a sober driver and encouraging everyone else to do the same.
Melissa Stegner from MADD's Power of You(th)™ National Teen Influencer Group shares her story for Red Ribbon Week.
Melissa sharing her story at the 2012 MADD National Conference
My name is Melissa Stegner. I'm seventeen and a senior in high school. On December 27th, 2007, I woke up to what I thought would be any other normal day. I was 12 at the time, a seventh grader in middle school. I had told my dad the day before that I would go along with him to drop off my grandmother in Pennsylvania. She had been staying with us in Northern Virginia for our Christmas break. That morning, I was not feeling well and refused to go along on the drive. Instead, my brother Sean, who was 14 at the time, went along to keep my dad company. I remember so clearly, my brother had begged me to go. He told me that I could even choose what movie we were going to watch on the ride there. Yet, I still chose not to go. I often wonder how different things would be if I had decided to get in the car with them that day.
My dad, my mother, Sean, and my grandpa left the house around 9 in the morning. My mother was dropped off at Dulles Airport to make her usual trip as a flight attendant to Japan. Around 12 in the afternoon, they arrived in Hazelton, Pennsylvania and dropped my grandmother off. Soon after, my dad called me to tell me that he and Sean were planning to drive home a different route and go shopping at the outlets. This was the last time I would ever hear my dad’s voice.
Later on that evening around 5pm, there was a ring at the doorbell. My sister went to answer it. She then came into my room crying, hysterically. She told me that Dad had died in car accident. I don't remember clearly what happened after this, but I recall that I had yelled at the police officer. Repeating over and over again, "What about my brother? What about my brother? Is he okay? Is he okay?” I later found out that Sean's body was so badly mangled that the EMTs could not check if he had a pulse or not.
My dad and brother were killed by a repeat drunk driver. Her name was Jennifer Carter. She was 27 and had three DWIs on her record in the span of 10 years. And she had a legal driver’s license by the state of Maryland. Jennifer was killed on impact on the day of the crash.
The realization I have over and over again that my brother won't grow up is not easy. But through my work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Power of You(th) National Teen Influencer Group, I hope that I can save lives and prevent injuries. By sharing my story, I hope to help my peers understand that their actions have consequences, so that they don’t drink underage and don’t become future offenders. I’m thankful to MADD and State Farm for giving teens a voice. I plan on using my voice to make sure that my dad and brother’s deaths help save someone else’s life.
Ken Watson was a bright, intelligent boy who made a bad choice when he accepted a ride from someone he barely knew. As a result, he was killed on October 16, 1981—just days after his 14th birthday.
