About MADD

In May 1980, 13-year-old Cari Lightner was killed by a drunk driver as she walked on the sidewalk in her suburban Sacramento neighborhood. The driver, Clarence William Busch, did not stop, but when he was apprehended he was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.20 percent and previous drunk-driving convictions. He was, in fact, out on bail for a similar hit-and-run.

The Lightners' story was horrifying but not unique--there were 27,000 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the United States that year, 2,500 of themin California. However, in this case, the girl's mother, Candace Lightner, a real estate agent, used her grief to fuel a new grassroots organization dedicated to reshaping the public's perception of drunk driving.

Today, MADD is the largest crime victims’ assistance organization in the world with more than 3 million members and supporters.
MADD is about committed spirits and determined volunteers. It is the embodiment of victim support and assistance. MADD is tangible proof that social attitudes can be radically changed. Since MADD’s inception, alcohol-related traffic fatalities have declined 43 percent.

Statistics indicate that in 1980, 55 percent (28,100) of the nation’s 51,091 traffic fatalities were alcohol-related. In 1999, alcohol-related fatalities represented 38 percent (15,794) of the nation’s 41,345 traffic fatalities, according to preliminary statistics.

Due in large part to MADD’s efforts, more than an estimated 138,000 people are alive today and an untold number have received comfort, support and assistance in dealing with the aftermath of a drunk driving crash.