Dramatic Drop in Kansas DUI Fatalities
By
MADD
|
July 23, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
We are encouraged to see that the Kansas Department of Transportation recently released preliminary data showing a dramatic drop in drunk driving deaths over the past year. In the year since a law went into effect on July 1, 2011, requiring all drunk driving offenders in Kansas to use an ignition interlock on their vehicles, the state is reporting 59 alcohol-related traffic fatalities—compared with 125 and 137, respectively, for the previous two years during the same timeframe.
Ignition interlocks, or in-car breathalyzers, require drunk drivers to prove they are sober before the car will start. Throughout the U.S., 17 states (plus a pilot program in California) have laws requiring the use of this technology for all convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders.
MADD would like to commend Kansas lawmakers, especially Senator Tim Owens, Representative Kay Wolf and Representative Pat Colloton, for their efforts to save lives and prevent injuries on the state’s roadways.
Read the full press release or find out more about ignition interlocks.
DUI on Discovery Fit & Health
By
MADD
|
July 23, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
On Tuesday, July 24, Discovery Fit & Health will premiere the series, DUI, on their network. The documentary-style show follows the Oklahoma Highway Patrol as they find and arrest people driving drunk, and tells the stories of the alleged offenders and their families.
Drunk driving is the most frequently committed violent crime in the U.S. In 2009, more than 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That's less than one percent of the 147 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.
We applaud Discovery Fit & Health for showcasing the lifesaving work of our heroes in law enforcement, bringing awareness to the issue of drunk driving, and showing the consequences of this violent crime.
Click here to learn more about the series or see photos from filming.
Recording Artist Sara G Supports MADD
By
MADD
|
July 17, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
,
General
,
Underage Drinking
Summer can be a dangerous time both on America’s roadways, and for teens on summer vacation. That’s why we are working hard this summer to stop the preventable deaths and injuries resulting from drunk driving and underage drinking. We’ve teamed up with recording artist and former Miss World Canada Sara G and her single “Call Me A Cab,” to create MADD PSAs. These PSAs reminds summer revelers to always designate a sober driver before they go out, as well as additional PSAs letting kids know that drinking underage isn’t cool—it’s dangerous.
Listen to the PSAs now:
15 second drunk driving PSA | 30 second drunk driving PSA
20 second underage drinking PSA | 30 second underage drinking PSA
We would also like to thank Sara G for donating 29 cents for each download of the single “Call Me A Cab” purchased off of iTunes now through October 31st. Learn more.
Thanks to Sara G and Inasense Records for making our roads safer this summer.
MADD Celebrates Missouri’s Passage of Lifesaving Ignition Interlock Legislation
By
MADD
|
July 11, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
Yesterday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed into law a bill that requires all convicted drunk drivers use ignition interlocks on their vehicles to prevent future offenses. Missouri is the 17th state in the nation to require all drunk driving offenders use ignition interlocks and now more than 100 million people live in states with all-offender interlock laws, meaning we are one-third of the way to our goal of helping keep every American safer as a result of these lifesaving laws.
Studies show that a first-time convicted drunk driver is not a first-time offender, but rather it is simply the first time they have been caught. In fact, first-time offenders have driven drunk an average of 80 times before they are convicted.
Requiring all convicted drunk drivers to use ignition interlocks to prove they are sober before they can start their vehicles has been shown to save lives and stop drunk driving. In Arizona and Oregon, for example, laws requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers have contributed significantly to the number of drunk driving deaths dropping 51 and 52 percent, respectively.
Learn more about ignition interlocks and the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®.
MADD on The View
By
MADD
|
July 3, 2012
|
Filed in:
Drunk Driving
,
Underage Drinking
This Thursday, MADD speakers Kathy Hernandez and Dani Simien will be featured on a segment of The View about underage drinking prevention.
Kathy and Dani have a unique relationship and a very impactful story to share. Kathy’s 19-year-old daughter, Casey, was an underage drunk driver who crashed into Dani on his way home from prom. Casey died and Dani is in a wheelchair as a result of the crash. Kathy and Dani now speak at schools and Victim Impact Panels together to share their story and encourage teens to not drink under the age of 21, and to never drink and drive.
Find out more about the show at theview.tv.
