Unsung Heroes Honored for Leadership in Fight Against Drunk Driving
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2003 -- The sister of a South Carolina drunk driving victim, two Maryland police officers, a pioneering anti-drunk driving activist, the Governor of Virginia, a Montana legislator, and a coalition of broadcasters and professional sports leagues and arenas, were among the 13 recipients of the 19th annual National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD) awards presented today to "unsung heroes" in the fight against impaired driving and underage drinking.
The NCADD awards were presented as part of the National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (3D Month) campaign that seeks to reduce impaired driving during the high-risk driving December holiday season.
"This award gives us the opportunity to honor some of the most effective leaders and innovative programs in the nation to combat drunk driving and underage drinking," said NCADD Chairman Robert Stempel. "These winners are all unsung heroes working on the front lines in the fight against drunk driving."
The 2003 NCADD award recipients were:
FOUNDER'S AWARD: Doris Aiken, Founder and President of Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID), Schenectady, New York, whose pioneering effective, volunteer campaign to deter drunk driving and assist DWI victims began in 1978 in Schenectady, New York. The published results of extensive court monitoring of DWI sentencing, has influence over the dis-election or retirement of judges and prosecutors which caught the attention of the New York State Assembly during the 1980-81 legislative session. RID's 13 law reforms resulted in the saving of more than 6,000 New York motorists' lives by 1991, and set an example for other states to follow. As a result of Doris Aiken's tireless and enthusiastic leadership, RID chapters were formed across the U.S. Today, RID has a presence in 41 states. Doris Aiken and RID have played a significant role in the battle to stop drunk driving, save lives and prevent injuries on our nation's roadways.
HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Herb M. Simpson, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), Ottawa, Canada, whose pioneering research has raised awareness and concern about hard core drunk drivers who cause much of the damage on our highways. His influential work with agencies around the country helped shape programs and policies to deal with this challenging group of offenders. Most recently, Dr. Simpson's unique and comprehensive research on improving the effectiveness of the criminal justice system has received wide acclaim and been embraced as the key to making significant progress in the fight against drunk driving.
LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD: Representative Kim Gillan, Montana State House of Representatives (Billings, Montana), who is a strong, forceful advocate to strengthen her state's impaired driving laws. Being a highway safety advocate in Montana can be an uphill battle, despite the fact that alcohol-related traffic deaths increased 17 percent between 2001-2002. During the 2003 legislative session, Representative Gillan successfully championed a Mandatory Blood Alcohol Testing law. She also pushed for Montana's adoption of .08 BAC along with other safety initiatives, including graduated driver's licensing, open container legislation and an increase in "minor in possession" penalties. Although all of these legislative initiatives have not been enacted into law, Representative Gillan persists in her efforts to promote common sense, lifesaving highway safety policies.
ADJUDICATION AWARD: Clark County District Attorney's Vehicular Crimes Unit, Las Vegas, Nevada, which is an aggressive prosecution "bull dog" unit whose sole and steadfast purpose is to zealously prosecute vehicular crime offenders such as DUI, Reckless Driving, Evading, Leaving the Scene and Involuntary Manslaughter. The unit is heavily involved with community groups. The Unit is a pivotal resource and leader in statewide legislative matters relating to vehicular crime and public safety. The Unit developed the Serious Offender and Moderate Offender Diversion Programs targeting the worst of recidivist offenders
LAW ENFORCEMENT AWARD: Lt. David Falcinelli and Officer William Morrison of the Montgomery County Department of Police, Rockville, Maryland. In the aftermath of last year's D.C area sniper shootings, drunk driving enforcement was one of the last things on most minds. Officers Morrison and Falcinelli needed to devise an effective new strategy to raise awareness, motivate officers and educate the community. The Enhanced Impaired Driving Taskforce which they created and implemented, satisfied all three needs. The taskforce was responsible for training civilians to help identify DUI offenders, utilizing Students Against Destructive Decisions to help officers with their paperwork and increasing DUI arrests from similar type details by 77%. Their efforts have impacted drunk driving in Montgomery County, Maryland and contributed to safer roadways.
CORPORATE LEADERSHIP AWARD: NightRiders, Inc. (Gary Calnan, CEO) of Boulder, Colorado, which provides designated non-drinking drivers to drive patrons home safely in their own vehicles. Every driver is dispatched with a collapsible motorized scooter, which is placed in the customer's trunk, and then used to return upon completion of the service. NightRiders promotes personal responsibility and directly helps to reduce the incidence of drinking and driving. This innovative private sector concept demonstrates safety- minded social entrepreneurship that is both profitable and provides a public good.
EDUCATION AND PREVENTION AWARD: Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition (Kevin Hallinan, Senior Vice President, Security and Facility Management, Major League Baseball, and Jill Pepper, Executive Director TEAM Coalition) of Arlington, Virginia, which brings together the knowledge and expertise of the major sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL), facilities, concessionaires, brewers, broadcasters, and governmental highway safety experts for a shared mission: To provide effective alcohol service training in public assembly facilities and promote responsible alcohol consumption that enhances the entertainment experience while reducing alcohol- related incidents both in facilities and on the surrounding roadways. In 2003, over 10,000 stadium employees received effective alcohol management training in over 50 stadiums and arenas in which more than 20 million fans attended sporting events.
YOUTH INITIATIVE AWARD: Texas Department of Transportation's Traffic Safety Section (Jim Hollis, Program Manager), which produced and distributed the "Before and After" DWI Prevention Campaign that received wide notoriety. Under Jim Hollis' outstanding leadership, many people across Texas joined together to bring this powerful multi-faceted public awareness program, not only into the Texas high schools and into the conscience of the state's general public, but into the national, and international arena as well.
GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP AWARD: Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner, who created the Task Force to Combat Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol in order to assess current efforts to eliminate driving under the influence in August of 2002. In addition, Governor Warner proposed legislation earlier this year that would impose minimum, mandatory fines for persons convicted of DUI. Under this legislation, which was enacted, persons convicted of a first DUI offense would face fines of $250; for a second DUI conviction, the minimum fine would be $500; and for a third or subsequent DUI conviction, the minimum fine would be $1000. Governor Warner recently accepted the Task Force's final report with its recommendations for several legislative initiatives. He has charged the Secretaries of Transportation and Public Safety to prepare a DUI legislative package for the 2004 Virginia legislative session.
CITIZEN ACTIVIST AWARD: Donna Carter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving's (MADD) South Carolina state organization, who, since her brother Marvin Terry's tragic death in a September 1990 alcohol-related traffic crash, has worked hard to help others have the opportunity to live and see their hopes and dreams come true. Mrs. Carter has worked to charter MADD chapters across South Carolina, organized Victim Impact Panels, served in every officer position in her local chapter and with the MADD SC state organization, effectively lobbied for anti-DUI laws, spent many hours monitoring DUI cases in courts, and has assisted countless DUI victims. She has made a genuine impact upon highway safety in South Carolina.
MEDIA AWARENESS AWARD: Robert Asher, a veteran member of the Washington Post editorial board, who has been a consistently strong supporter of the fight against impaired driving and underage drinking since the nationwide war on drunk driving was launched in earnest in 1980. His dozens of hard-hitting editorials on DUI, underage drinking and safety belts over the past quarter century have had an enormous influence on legislative decisions made on Capitol Hill and in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Robert Asher's unassuming, behind-the-scenes crafting of brilliantly written editorials have given grassroots advocates powerful weapons in persuading elected officials and the public in general to be responsive to their pleas.
STATE AWARD: The state of North Carolina under the leadership of Governor Michael F. Easley's administration remains committed to an aggressive program combining strong laws and dedicated law enforcement. North Carolina has the lowest rate of fatal alcohol-related crashes in the nation's southeast region and was recently recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for a 70 percent drop in DUI deaths since 1983. Much of this success is due to the state's biannual "Booze It & Lose It" education- enforcement campaigns. Recent upgrades to the program include two new breath- alcohol testing mobile units (BATMobiles) bringing the statewide fleet to five.
"Each of these award winners truly is a lifesaver," said NCADD President John Moulden. "Their dedication sets an example of what it is going to take in every community if we are to win the war against drunk driving and underage drinking. I hope that our award winners will inspire others to get involved in this fight for our lives -- starting this holiday season and throughout the year."
3D Month was established by congressional legislation and presidential proclamation in December 1982 because the Christmas - New Year's period is typically one of the higher risk times on our roads due to a sharp increase in drinking and driving.
MADD National President Wendy Hamilton served as the keynote speaker of the 2003 awards luncheon that was sponsored by the NCADD in partnership with Farmers Insurance Group.
While alcohol-related traffic deaths were cut by two-thirds from 1981 to 1994, DUI deaths leveled off for several years until they started to climb again in 2000. Last year, 17,419 people were killed and 700,000 others were injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes in the U.S. Drunk driving costs Americans more than $50 billion each year in economic losses.
The NCADD (www.ncadd.com) is the successor to the Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1982. The mission of NCADD is to continue the efforts of the Presidential Commission to reduce impaired driving and its tragic consequences by uniting a broadly based coalition of public and private sector organizations and other concerned individuals who share this common purpose.
CONTACTS: John Moulden, 240-247-6004 or 301-213-8900 Harold Watson, 240-247-6004 or 240-603-9565