4/11/2018 The History of MADD

Drunk driving is a subject that most of us would prefer not to talk about. It’s
certainly not pleasant. Yet the more that we avoid the topic, the more likely drunk
drivers are to continue their egregious behavior. If we don’t speak openly about
drunk driving, the deadly “habit” may go unchecked—your friends, your family
members, or even you may be at risk for driving over the limit.
IT’S PRECISELY FOR THIS REASON THAT AN MADD has been fighting to raise
awareness for the victims of drunk
ORGANIZATION LIKE MOTHERS AGAINST driving since 1980; sadly, the dangerous
DRUNK DRIVING (MADD) EXISTS. act of drunk driving has been around far
longer.

ACCORDING TO MADD STATISTICS

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MADD’S WORK IS FAR FROM DONE AS LONG AS THERE ARE

STILL DANGEROUS DRUNK DRIVERS ON THE ROAD.

MADD PROVIDES “SOBERING” STATISTICS ON

THE PRESENT DANGERS OF DRUNK DRIVING
28 people die each
day in the US in a
DUI accident. A
person is
injured in
a DUI
accident
almost
every 90 seconds. The
average drunk driver drives
intoxicated roughly 80 times
before their first DUI arrest.

In 2012, one
person died in a drunk driving accident every 51 minutes. 226
children were killed in DUI accidents in 2011 54% of children
were riding with a drunk driver.

1 in 3
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One in three people will be

involved in a DUI accident in their
lifetime. Drunk driving rates are
the highest among 21 to 25-year-
olds at 23.4%.

Drunk driving is more likely 50-75% of convicted drunk DUIs cost the United States
to occur at night than in the drivers will continue to drive $132 billion a year.
daytime, at 36% versus 8%. on a suspended license.

This is why MADD continues to fight to reinforce the

legal drinking age of 21. Age 21 currently remains the
minimum legal drinking age in the US and has saved an
estimated 25,000 lives as a result. Directly related to
the enforcement of this law, DUI crashes have
decreased by roughly 16% among the underage group.
Minimum legal drinking age serves a purpose to protect
both personal and public safety. Though many teens
begin to drive at the age of 16, they are not yet
experienced as drivers or experienced with alcohol.
Research confirms that teenagers get drunk twice as
fast as adults, and they often lack the impulse control
needed to regulate their alcohol intake. MADD supports
the legal drinking age of 21 to reduce DUI accidents,
protect the maturing brains of teenagers, and improve
safety among minors.

DRUNK DRIVING RISK IS PREVALENT ACROSS THE US, THOUGH

PENALTIES MAY VARY BY STATE.
MADD provides a complete database of state-by-
state DUI legislation through the use of an
interactive map. States are rated based on DUI
enforcement and harshness of conviction
penalties. Colorado, for example, is rated a five-
star state by MADD; Colorado law enforcement
regularly conducts sobriety checkpoints, highly
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incentivizes ignition interlock use for DUI

offenders, increases penalties for DUI child
endangerment, utilizes administrative license
revocation for drunk drivers, and participates in
DUI no-refusal events. In contrast, MADD rates
Minnesota as a two-star state with legislation
only supporting DUI child endangerment and
administrative license revocation.

MADD has been fighting tooth and nail to raise
DUI awareness since 1980, when the
organization was founded by a mother whose
daughter was killed by a drunk driver. MADD is
currently the largest nonprofit organization
working to protect families against drunk
driving in the nation. MADD continues to support
drunk/drugged driving victims and families free
of charge through local chapters and a national
helpline (1-877-MADD-HELP).
After 32 years of eliciting positive change
and reducing DUI deaths country-wide,
MADD continues to stand by its revised
mission statement to
“STOP DRUNK DRIVING, SUPPORT THE
VICTIMS OF THIS VIOLENT CRIME AND
PREVENT UNDERAGE DRINKING.”

Here is the complete history and timeline of Mothers Against Drunk Driving:
13-year-
old Cari

Lightner lobbied the California governor to

create a state task force against drunk
driving; California passed a new law
requiring minimum fines of $375 for first
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Lightner, daughter of MADD founder, was killed offender drunk drivers with mandatory
by a drunk driver in California walking to a prison time of up to four years for repeat
church carnival. The driver who killed Cari was offenders.
later arrested; police discovered that he had a
history of drunk driving and had been arrested
for a similar hit-and-run DUI accident just a
week prior. When Cari’s mother Candy Lightner
learned that drunk driving offenders were rarely
prosecuted effectively, she decided to take
action. Candy started the nonprofit Mothers
Against Drunk Drivers to honor her deceased
daughter, raise awareness, and increase DUI
penalties.

Lightner served on the National

Commission on Drunk Driving, per
the request of President Reagan; the MADD gained publicity in a 1983 NBC TV
Commission recommended raising movie made about Lightner’s story. 129 new
the minimum drinking age to 21, as anti-DUI laws were passed by the end of the
well as revoking the driver’s licenses year.
of drunk drivers who had been
arrested.

Lightner stood next to President

Reagan when he signed a law to cut
federal highway grants for any state
that didn’t increase its legal
drinking age to 21.
MADD officially changed its name
from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
to Mothers Against Drunk Driving
to target the act and not the
individual.
Thanks to Lightner’s hard work on the
Commission, all 50 states revised their DUI
laws to include more stringent penalties. By
that time, MADD as an organization had
expanded to over 320 chapters with 600,000
volunteers and donors. In 1985, Lightner left
the organization after disagreeing with the
changing focus of MADD.

MADD established the Victim Assistance Institutes.

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age 21.
MADD launched the Victim Impact Panel program. The MADD Canada chapter was founded. With
MADD launched its official
website at www.madd.org.
MADD branched out in its work to
campaign against underage
drinking and support research
about the effects of alcohol use
among minors. MADD updated its
mission statement to encompass
underage drinking:“The mission of Mothers
Against Drunk Driving is to stop drunk
driving, support the victims of this violent
crime and prevent underage drinking.”
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The History of MADD
A drunk driver drove the wrong
way on Interstate 71 in Kentucky
and collided head-on with a
school bus. The DUI accident
killed 27 people and injured
more as the bus caught on fire.
The horrific accident was
considered the “nation’s worst
alcohol-related crash.” One of
the victim’s parents later
became MADD’s national
president. Within the year, all
states and Washington DC passed
the federal drinking age law at
support from the MADD amicus brief, the
US Supreme Court declared sobriety
checkpoints constitutional.
The Federal Zero Tolerance MADD was ranked as the most
Law was passed by Congress; popular nonprofit/charity in the
Zero Tolerance legislation was US out of the top 100 charities in
passed in all states by 1998. Chronicle of Philanthropy
magazine. Within the year,
alcohol-related deaths dropped
to an all-time low over the past
30 years.
MADD spurred forth major change when
President Clinton passed a law that linked
federal highway funds to a state’s
participation in the 0.08 standard of legal
blood alcohol content (BAC) in order to
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drive. MADD had been faithfully campaigning

to reduce the national BAC from 0.10 to
0.08. As MADD celebrated its 20th
MADD INTRODUCED ITS EIGHT-POINT anniversary, DUI fatalities had been reduced
PLAN by more than 40% since 1980.
To spur on national efforts to prevent drunk
driving
Increase DWI/DUI enforcement
Require primary enforcement seatbelt laws
in each state
Enact tougher penalties/ sanctions for high-
risk drivers
MADD was named one of the 100 Best
Create a dedicated National Traffic Safety
Fund
Charities in America by Worth magazine

Cut down on underage drinking, raise beer

excise taxes to equal spirit taxes
Revive court monitoring programs

Glynn Birch was named MADD’s first male

national president. MADD launched its 24-hour
victim helpline at 1-877-MADD-HELP.

MADD supported stringent New MADD was rated at 39.08

Jersey legislation passed to require
ignition interlock devices for all
convicted drunk drivers, even first-
time offenders. Similar legislation
was passed in 22 other states.
out of 70 by the Charity
Navigator rating scale.
MADD came out publicly against
the videogame Grand Theft Auto
IV, where players were allowed
to drive drunk with the potential
for police arrest.

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MADD PROUDLY FIGHTS FOR THEIR CAUSE BECAUSE OF THE

REAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY DRUNK
DRIVERS.
On their official website, MADD displays heart-wrenching Voices of Victims stories to put a face to
the crime of drunk driving.
Stories like 18-year-old college student Laura Gorman’s remind us how effortlessly a DUI accident
can happen. In 2006, Laura was a college freshman riding with a friend. She was a passenger with a
driver who had been drinking; the driver veered off the highway and hit a tree. Laura died at the
scene of the accident just miles from her dorm room. The driver had a BAC of 0.12 three hours
after the accident and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Jaime Maier was another beautiful young teenager, age 16, killed in 2002 when a drunk driver
barreled into her as she was backing out of a friend’s driveway. The drunk driver was driving over
100 mph in a 30 mph zone with a BAC of 0.12. Jamie and her friend riding as a passenger were
killed instantly.

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To prevent horrific stories like Laura’s and Jamie’s from repeating themselves, you can do your
part to put an end to drunk driving and raise awareness. MADD is currently campaigning to
require ignition interlock devices on the vehicles of all drunk drivers; a convicted DUI offender
must blow into the device to prove sobriety in order to start their car.

IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT THIS LIFE-SAVING LEGISLATION, YOU

CAN SEND AN EMAIL TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE VIA THE MADD
WEBSITE.

IT IS ALSO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS OF A DRUNK

DRIVER ON THE ROAD SO THAT YOU CAN STEER CLEAR AND CONTACT THE
POLICE. LOOK FOR INTOXICATED MOTORISTS ACCORDING TO THESE MADD
GUIDELINES:

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1 Quick acceleration/ deceleration

2 Tailgating, weaving, or zigzagging in traffic

3 Driving off designated roadways

4 Almost striking an object/vehicle

5 Erratic braking/ stopping

6 Drifting lanes

7 Driving with headlights off at night

8 Driving on the wrong side of the road

THE ESTIMATED COST OF A

DUITRUTHTHEORY.COM

JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN IT IS

SAFE TO DRIVE AFTER YOU OR A FRIEND HAS BEEN
DRINKING?

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In most cases, it may be safe to drive after up to two alcoholic beverages, whether you are a
man or a woman. However, many sources recommend never driving after drinking as alcohol can
affect judgment. BAC level depends on a number of factors, including gender, weight, rate of
consumption, drink strength, body type, metabolism, medication use, food intake, carbonation,
and alcohol tolerance. For light drinking purposes, a smartphone app or BAC calculator can be
used to estimate safe blood alcohol levels.

YOU CAN PREVENT DRINKING AND DRIVING AMONG FRIENDS AND FAMILY WITH
FIVE HELPFUL TIPS:

Always
choose a designated driver, call Hide keys
a taxi, or take public if a friend has consumed too
transportation for a night out. much alcohol to drive.

Offer non- Arrange

alcoholic beverages at the end of for alternate transportation for
the night when throwing a party. guests when drinking at home.

Suggest
alternate transportation or ask a
friend to sleep over in a non-
confrontational manner when
they appear too drunk to drive.

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DUI awareness starts from the ground up. You can do your part to watch for drunk drivers
on the road, commit to never drink and drive after a night out, and encourage friends and
family to call a cab instead of driving intoxicated.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND FIGHT DRUNK DRIVING

AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL WITH THESE ANTI-DUI GUIDELINES
FROM MADD:

Email Sign up Report

your legislators about drunk for email alerts about DUI any drunk driver you
driving campaigns and campaigns/ legislation. encounter on the road.
issues.

Volunteer Support
at local MADD chapters. the MADD cause with
donations.

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[feather_share]
SOURCES:
“GET INVOLVED.” MADD – History of drunk driving.
“GET INVOLVED.” MADD – Drunk Driving Statistics.
“GET INVOLVED.” Underage Drinking.
“MADD founder’s daughter killed by drunk driver.” History.com. A&E Television Networks.
“GET INVOLVED.” MADD – Mission Statement.
The Charities Americans Like Most And Least, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, December 13, 1996
www.SR22InsuranceQuotes.org

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