The Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving and You: A Winning Combination
By MADD | May 2, 2013 | Filed in: Drunk Driving

This year marks the seventh anniversary of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving.  Thank you to all of MADD’s volunteers, victim/survivors and supporters for helping to make it the premier grassroots campaign in the nation.   

The Campaign was built on MADD’s prior research-based successes, including advocating for a national .08 BAC standard.  It supports high visibility law enforcement efforts to deter drunk driving, seeks to ensure all convicted drunk drivers receive an ignition interlock device, and supports the development of new technologies like DADSS (Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety) that will one day stop drunk drivers from starting vehicles. 

Thanks to your support, we’ve made tremendous progress in the fight against drunk driving. Today we can celebrate that:

  • Seventeen states now require interlocks for all DUI offenders, up from only one state in 2006.
  • Over 100 million people are now protected by these lifesaving interlock laws.
  • Research and development funding for the DADSS project has been doubled from $10 million to just over $20 million.
  • The U.S. Congress has passed legislation authorizing and funding all components of the Campaign. Learn more here.
  • NHTSA, the NFL, the NTSB, AAA, and every other major safety group have now endorsed the components of the campaign, including interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers (.08 and above) and funding for the technologies that will eliminate drunk driving.
  • 3,600 fewer people were killed in 2011 than when we startedthe Campaign in 2006.

The Campaign was created to eliminate drunk driving in America, and as you can see it’s working.  We are keeping our eye on the prize: a nation where drunk driving exists only in the history books. 

Your support has made this possible. You and others in the MADD family have sent tens of thousands of emails to federal and state legislators that have helped sway opinions and save lives.  Your unwavering support of MADD keeps us going every day.  But our work is not done yet, and we plan to stay focused and reach our goal to rid our nation of this violent crime, until there are no more future victims. 

Check out what you’ve helped accomplish:

If your state doesn’t yet have an interlock law, let your legislators know what you think here.

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Share the Road
By MADD | May 2, 2013 | Filed in: Drunk Driving

With warmer weather right around the corner, motorcyclists will soon be out in force. That’s why May is designated Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month—a national initiative designed to encourage drivers of all other kinds of vehicles to “share the road” with each other.

Motorcycles are among the smallest and most vulnerable vehicles on the road and riders are at greater risk of death and serious injury if they are involved in a crash. In fact, according to the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclists are 30 times more likely to die in a crash than occupants of cars, and 5 times more likely to be injured.

Alcohol plays a particularly big role in motorcycle fatalities as it affects those skills essential to riding a motorcycle—balance and coordination. In 2011, 1,390 drunk motorcyclists were involved in fatal crashes. That's a 34% increase from 2002, at the same time as all other drunk driving fatalities decreased significantly. Motorcyclists are the drivers most likely to be driving drunk in fatal crashes—29% of motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes were above a .08, compared with 24% for cars and 21% for light trucks.

Safety is a mutual responsibility for motorists and motorcyclists alike. Drivers must be aware that a motorcycle, as one of the smallest of vehicles on the road, can be ‘hiding’ in your vehicle’s blind spots. Always check blind spots, use mirrors and signal before changing lanes or making turns. 

And as always, no matter what vehicle you are driving, never drive after drinking.

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Global Youth Traffic Safety Month
By MADD | May 1, 2013 | Filed in: General , Power of Parents , Underage Drinking

May 1st begins Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, an annual campaign held each May to bring awareness of the fact that summer is the deadliest time on the roads for youth in the U.S.  This campaign is hosted by our friends at the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) Coalition. 

Help youth make this summer safe on the roads by reminding them of these key tips from NOYS:

  • JST DRV – avoid all distractions – they can wait!
  • ALWAYS buckle up!
  • PLAN your route and your ride – take the safest way and ride with safe drivers!
  • STAND up for your own safety – Speak up and get out if you need to!

We’d also like to add:  Don’t drink until age 21 and never get in the car with someone who has been drinking.

You can find additional tips from MADD’s Power of Parents program about teen driving safety and the Graduated Driver’s License Law to help your teen beat the odds here.

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