Mother’s Against Drunk Drivers

Michael McCarry and Bridget Kelley

Mission Statement

• MADD believes it’s possible for our nation to eliminate the tragedy of drunk driving and prevent underage drinking. And we are committed to serving drunk driving victims/survivors.

Issues

• The groups major concern is to stop drunk driving and underage drinking

• MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving is a bold initiative with the ambitious, but attainable, goal of eliminating drunk driving once and for all.

Take Action

• Support ignition interlocks for all convicted DUI offenders, support victims of crime, help preserve the 21 minimum drinking age, join the fight against underage drinking, support greater sanctions for BAC test refusal

History

• MADD was incorporated on September 5, 1980

• In 1984 MADD changed it’s name from Mothers against Drunk Drivers to Mothers against Drunk Driving.

• This change was made because MADD is opposed to the criminal act of drunk driving, not individuals.

Founder

• Candy Lightner was the organizer and founding president of MADD. In 1980, Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter, Cari, was killed by a drunken hit-and-run driver as she walked down a suburban street in California. Her daughter had broken almost every bone in her body and fractured her skull, leaving her dead body at the scene

Statistics of MADD

• Of the 414 children 0-14 years old who were killed in alcohol-related crashes during 2005, more than half (224) of those killed were passengers in vehicles with drivers who had been drinking.

Leadership• Glynn Birch joined MADD after

his 1 year old son died in a car accident. Glynn’s election as the National President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) makes him the first male and minority president in the organization’s 25-year history. 8

• He’s been volunteering his time and talents for more than 15 years advancing MADD’s mission at the local, state and national levels.

• MADD gets people to become a member, donate money, and contact politicians.

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• Underage alcohol use is more likely to kill young people than all illegal drugs combined.

DUI offenders will get mandatory jail sentences, treatment for alcoholism and other alcohol abuse issues, ignition interlock devices, and license suspensions

• About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol related crash at some time in their lives.

• In 2006 63% of 8th graders reported that alcohol is fairly easy to get.

• 83% of 10th graders reported that alcohol is easy to get.

• 92% of 12th graders say it’s easy to get

• MADD has successfully advocated, and continues to advocate, for the enactment of laws for even more strict and severe punishment of offenders of laws against driving under the influence, as well as laws against drinking and driving

•Don’t drink and drive….be a hero!