National Teen Driver Safety Week
By MADD | October 18, 2011 | Filed in: Power of Parents , Underage Drinking

Parents often worry about their kids’ safety, but they have good reason to be concerned when their teen gets behind the wheel. Young, inexperienced drivers are the most crash-prone drivers on the road.  In fact, traffic crashes are the number one cause of death for American teenagers.

Know the risks
Risks that contribute to traffic crashes involving teens are:

• Impaired driving
• Too many passengers
• Driving at night
• Speeding
• Loud music
• Eating
• Cell phones
• Bad weather

Help your teen beat the odds
Driver education classes are just the beginning. Coach your teen about roadway hazards and safe driving principles. Don’t just talk about them at the kitchen table; get in the car together and see what your teen is doing.

Enforce limits
Chances of a fatal crash increase with each additional passenger, and the risks are greatest at night and on the weekends. Limit the number of passengers your teen has in the car and limit nighttime and weekend driving.

Follow the law
Most states offer graduated driver licensing (GDL), an approach that phases in privileges for new drivers. Starting with driving in less hazardous situations, beginning drivers are not allowed to drive at night or with teen passengers in their vehicle. Only when they have gained experience are they allowed to “graduate” to drive in these more risky situations. Parents need to be aware of the laws in their state and make sure that their teens obey them. GDL programs prevent about one in five crashes for 16-year-old drivers.

Gearing up for Red Ribbon Week with Anaheim Union High School District
By MADD | October 14, 2011 | Filed in: Power of Parents , Underage Drinking

As we approach Red Ribbon Week (October 24-28), we’re reminded that alcohol is the most commonly used drug by youth, more than all illegal drugs combined, and teen alcohol use kills about 6,000 people each year.  Underage drinking is also associated with many health and social problems, including poor school performance, impaired driving, interpersonal violence  and risky sexual behavior. 

However, research shows that parents are the primary influence on their kids’ decisions about whether or not to drink alcohol. So that’s why MADD and Anaheim Union High School District are joining forces to bring MADD’s Power of Parents, It’s Your Influence™ program to Anaheim families during Red Ribbon Week to help parents and caregivers of teenagers learn how to talk about the dangers of underage drinking.

AUHSD high schools will be hosting 30-minute workshops during and after Red Ribbon Week, facilitated by certified MADD staff and volunteers, to give parents and caregivers the parent handbook and provide tips to help them talk with their teens about alcohol. These workshops are open to the public, free of charge and will be offered in both English and Spanish.

When parents and kids are better connected, kids are less likely to drink or use other drugs. MADD congratulates the Anaheim Union High School District on taking the lead to bring this potentially life- saving program to its community and empowering parents and caregivers to talk effectively with teens about alcohol.

Learn more about partnering with MADD for Red Ribbon Week.

Letter to Alisa
By Jan Withers | September 16, 2011 | Filed in: Drunk Driving , National President , Power of Parents , Underage Drinking

Mom Congress asked everyone to participate in their Back-to-School Blog-a-thon this week by writing a letter to their children as they start a new school year to tell them how they are going to make their school year the best it can be.  Here is my letter to my daughter, Alisa.     

Dear Alisa,

I am writing to you, wishing I could be looking at you and holding your hands as I talk.  I would tell you that everything I do centers around my love for you.  I would tell you that you are the most important person in my life so your happiness and well-being is the most important thing in my life.   I would tell you that because I love you I want you to be safe and healthy and alive.  I would share with you information on why to avoid alcohol as a teen, such as how it can make you sick, lead to sexual assault, lead to early death, lead to alcoholism, not to mention it is illegal.   I would want to hear your opinions about it.  I would like to share with you some ways to help you make good choices.   I would share with you clear guidelines and consequences, not because I want to be mean but because I want you to be healthy and safe.  And I would tell you to never ride with someone who has been drinking – ever.  

But, I can’t tell you any of those things.  I am sure you thought it would never happen to you – that terrible things only happen to someone else.  But you became that someone else when you rode with a friend who chose to drink and then drive.   You became that someone who was killed.  So, I sometimes joke that when I get to heaven to be with you…you are grounded for getting into that car!  But, I won’t. Instead, I will just cry tears of joy to see you again and hug you and kiss you and hold you and tell you I have missed you and I love you so much.

I love you to ‘finity, 

Mom

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.

Hello and Goodbye
By Jan Withers | July 7, 2011 | Filed in: Drunk Driving , General , National President , Power of Parents , Underage Drinking , Victim Services

I offer my gratitude to our outgoing President Laura Dean-Mooney. She has crossed the country - the globe actually - effectively representing all of us in MADD. Her dedication and sacrifice these past three years is deeply appreciated. You have been a powerful voice for us, Laura. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Today is July 7th, my daughter, Alisa's, birthday. She was killed by an underage drunk driver 15 years after her birth, just 3 months before she turned 16. It feels absolutely perfect to me that I connect with you today for the first time as your new president. The day she was born was the launch of new joy in my heart. She was sunshine personified. As a little girl she was delightful giggles and dance. As she grew up she was gracious kindness and graceful dance. Here you see a picture of her in a rehearsal.

Today she would be 35. I wonder how she would have changed. Would she have a career in dancing? Would she have children? Would her hair still be long? What would she look like now? My friend Mary Klotzbach's son, Matthew, was killed when they were hit by a drunk driver in 2001. She says she wishes so much she could have current pictures of him. The photos of newly created memories abruptly stopped the day they died. We wish so much we could update our photo albums with snapshots of new memories.

I called MADD for help when I was paralyzed with pain. The sorrow was excruciating and the anger overwhelming. What I received was not only help, but I began to see glimpses of hope. When I could not stop crying, I was offered a kind heart. When I could not speak, my MADD advocate became my voice. At the same time, I was watching others in MADD - others who had experienced similar loss or who had been severely injured. They were their own voice or spoke for those who couldn't. They modeled strength I didn't have in my most broken days - but I wanted it - I wanted to get there someday. They were my beacons of hope.

So, as time moved forward, so did I. The day Alisa died, a piece of my heart died. I am forever different. Now, though, I know she moves forward with me. Along the journey so many people in MADD were first my beacons of hope and became my heroes. I watched them support one another. I watched them fight to save lives. I watched them courageously turn their pain into power. They taught me well, for I followed their example.

Today I am humbled to represent you, so many of whom are my close friends, and knowing I will meet so many of you who will become my friends. I feel we already know each other. We will touch one another's hearts. We are bound as a family in MADD. We are together to save lives. We are together to honor and support those who have been vicitimized by this violent crime, to protect our youth from the dangers of underage drinking, and to eliminate this scourge of drunk driving. I know this is a noble goal. I know this is an attainable goal. Today, I am humbled, knowing we will move forward together.

Warmly,
Jan Withers