Alcohol-Related Traffic Deaths Highest in 15 Years

MADD Calls Upon Congress to Hold Immediate Hearings to Address Proven Solutions and for Mandatory Alcohol Ignition Interlocks for All Convicted Drunk Drivers

DALLAS, May 25, 2007-- Statement for attribution to Glynn R. Birch, National President, Mothers Against Drunk Driving:

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is deeply saddened to learn that alcohol-related traffic deaths are at an all time high since 1992 and is asking the country to commit to the elimination of drunk driving.

According to NHTSA's preliminary Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data, alcohol-related traffic fatalities are up to 17,941 for 2006 versus 17,525 for 2005, representing a 2.4 percent increase. Fatalities involving a driver with a .08 BAC or higher rose from 13,613 in 2005 to 13,990 in 2006, representing a 2.8 percent increase. At the same time, overall traffic fatalities are down slightly by 0.3 percent.

MADD is calling upon Congress to schedule immediate hearings and develop a plan of action that is built upon proven solutions. MADD's National Board of Directors will meet with congressional safety leaders on June 7 to discuss its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving and to lobby for an increased focus on drunk driving. As U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters stated in a press conference this afternoon, MADD will work closely with the Department of Transportation and Governors across the country to reverse these numbers.

The Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving is exactly what it says it is: a road map for a nation without drunk driving. The Campaign calls for intensive, high visibility law enforcement; mandatory ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers; exploration of advanced vehicle-based technology and community support.

MADD believes that the reason people continue to drive drunk, despite the devastating effect it has on families, is because they can. MADD is committed to changing that. Currently, there are several advanced technologies under development that may one day make it impossible for vehicles to be driven by drunks.

Until then, we must rely on proven techniques to reduce drunk driving: alcohol ignition interlocks and increased high visibility enforcement, such as sobriety checkpoints in all 50 states.

There are 1.4 million drunk driving arrests in this country every year and we must make sure these individuals never drive drunk again. Take a stand America. Ask why ignition interlocks are not mandated the next time you read the headline, "family of four killed by repeat drunk driver."