In a bold new effort designed to eradicate one of the nation’s deadliest crimes, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
(MADD) launched its national Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which
aims to literally wipe out drunk driving in the United States.
Despite
a more than 40 percent decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalities
since MADD was founded in 1980, the threat still remains. Every year,
nearly 13,000 people are killed by drunk drivers with an illegal blood
alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above and countless others are
injured. This represents more than 1,000 families every month that must
live with the tragic consequences of drunk driving.
As a nation,
our efforts to prevent drunk driving fatalities have stalled. MADD’s
plan to eliminate this public health threat requires new strategies to
complement current methods. MADD announced a 4-point plan to lead the
nation toward the goals of eliminating drunk driving:
• Intensive
high-visibility law enforcement, including twice-yearly crackdowns and
frequent enforcement efforts that include sobriety checkpoints and
saturation patrols in all 50 states.
• Full
implementation of current alcohol ignition interlock technologies,
including efforts to require alcohol ignition interlock devices for all
convicted drunk drivers. A key part of this effort will be working with
judges, prosecutors and state driver’s license officials to stop the
revolving door of repeat offenders.
• Exploration
of advanced vehicle technologies through the establishment of a Blue
Ribbon panel of international safety experts to assess the feasibility
of a range of technologies that would prevent drunk driving. These
technologies must be moderately priced, absolutely reliable, set at the
legal BAC limit and unobtrusive to the sober driver.
• Mobilization
of grassroots support, led by MADD and its 400+ affiliates, to make the
elimination of drunk driving a reality. MADD is uniting drunk driving
victims, families, community leaders, and policy makers in the fight to
eliminate drunk driving.
With emerging technology, the vision that drunk drivers will not be
able to operate vehicles is no longer a dream but, with substantial
research, a real possibility. But to achieve it, all four strategies
must succeed. Interlock use must expand to all convicted drunk
drivers. Emerging technologies must be developed into effective and
practical devices that don’t inhibit lawful drivers. High-visibility
enforcement must continue. All three of these components must be
backed up by effective communications and broad public support.
Highly visible law enforcement crackdowns, including
checkpoints and saturation patrols, are proven to get drunk drivers off
the road. Eighty-seven percent of Americans support the use of
sobriety checkpoints, yet 10 states still prohibit the use of them.
The Campaign will work to make checkpoints legal in all states.
Research shows that the overwhelming majority of people arrested for
drunk driving have driven drunk more than 50 times before their first
arrest. Two-thirds of those whose licenses are suspended for DUI drive
anyway. Interlocks are proven to be up to 90 percent effective while
on the vehicle, yet it is estimated that only one in eight convicted
drunk drivers each year currently get the device, and most of those are
repeat offenders. Sixty-five percent of the public support mandatory
interlocks for first time offenders, and 85 percent of the public
support mandatory interlocks for repeat offenders.
In addition to stronger enforcement and mandatory interlocks for all
convicted drunk drivers, MADD supports the development of new sensor
technology already underway that allows a vehicle to recognize if a
driver is drunk, and to stop the driver from operating that vehicle.
The public is overwhelmingly supportive: by a 4 to 1 margin (58
percent to 16 percent), Americans support advances in smart vehicle
technology to prevent drunk driving.
MADD intends to work with law enforcement agencies, judicial
organizations, auto manufacturers, insurers, distilled spirits
companies, technology companies, safety advocates, health care
professionals, and emergency technicians to abolish drunk driving in
the U.S. through the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving.
