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MADD To Team Up with DUI Patrols Across the Country for ‘Saturation Saturday’ on Aug. 24

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) volunteers and staff will team up with law enforcement patrols across the country on August 24 for the first nationwide “Saturation Saturday.”

MADD National President Helen Witty announced Saturation Saturday today during the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” kickoff. NHTSA’s $13 million Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, long supported by MADD, helps fund increased drunk driving enforcement and advertising during this time period. It runs from August 16 through Labor Day. Right in the middle of NHTSA’s Drive Sober campaign, MADD will “saturate” communities across the country on Saturday, August 24, by joining increased enforcement efforts and underscoring the message that it’s never OK to drive while impaired.

“We know that the days before Labor Day are among the most heavily traveled and can be the most dangerous on our roads,” Witty said. “On Saturation Saturday and every day, we stand with the law enforcement heroes who are on the front lines of the battle against this violent, preventable crime. We want to make sure everyone remembers to never drive while impaired by alcohol or other drugs and to stay safe and have fun, wherever their travels may take them.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sobriety checkpoints reduce drunk driving deaths by 20%. Saturation Saturday events will include checkpoints, increased DUI patrols and other enforcement efforts aimed at preventing impaired driving and catching those who make the wrong choice. MADD staff and volunteers will participate in law enforcement roll calls, checkpoints and ride-alongs to reinforce enforcement activities.

Support for high-visibility law enforcement is one of the key elements of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, launched in 2006. MADD advocates for funding for NHTSA’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over events, which occur every year in August and December, and Click It or Ticket in May. The other elements of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving include passing laws to require ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders, support for advanced vehicle technology and taking personal responsibility by using Uber, public transportation, taxi or designating a non-drinking friend or family member if plans include alcohol.

Saturation Saturday events will occur in 20 states, including Arkansas, Florida (all 67 counties), California, Missouri, New York, Illinois, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado.

To follow events throughout the day, follow MADD on Twitter at @maddonline or on Facebook at @MADD.Official.

About Mothers Against Drunk Driving Founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. MADD has helped to save nearly 380,000 lives, reduce drunk driving deaths by more than 50 percent and promote designating a non-drinking driver. MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® calls for law enforcement support, ignition interlocks for all offenders and advanced vehicle technology. MADD has provided supportive services to nearly one million drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge through local victim advocates and the 24-Hour Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP. Visit www.madd.org or call 1-877-ASK-MADD.

CONTACT: Becky Iannotta, 202.600.2032, [email protected]

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