MADD Unveils New Multimedia Show - Backstage Pass - to Help Teens Understand the Dangers of Underage Drinking

New DVD Class Pack Extends Show's Reach in the Classroom

DALLAS, March 31 -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and National Presenting Sponsor DaimlerChrysler's Road Ready Teens(TM) program are proud to present Backstage Pass, a dynamic multimedia school assembly show that uses teen TV and movie idols, hip music, visual special effects and stories of real-life tragedies to communicate the consequences of underage drinking and the importance of making safe, healthy choices, including driving safety. The show is expected to reach nearly 165,000 middle and high school students this year, many of which are scheduled at the height of prom and graduation season. Additionally, this year a new DVD Class Pack extends the show's reach to schools across the country and assists school leaders with in- classroom discussions on the topics featured in the show.

"Backstage Pass helps students define who they are and who they want to be," said, Wendy J. Hamilton, MADD national president. "These multimedia shows are part of MADD's ongoing effort to involve young people in the solution to the underage drinking problem. Teens are bombarded with alcohol messages. So to level the playing field, students are given the real truths about underage drinking and how destructive decisions can lead to dangerous consequences. It helps them differentiate between the "onstage" myths of alcohol and drug use and the "backstage" realities and consequences of dangerous decisions."

Underage drinking is the nation's No. 1 youth drug problem, killing or injuring more than 6,000 people and costing the nation approximately $53 billion every year. Additionally, underage drinking kills more youth than all other illicit drugs combined and establishes patterns of risky behavior that endanger teens in college and later in life.

Backstage Pass utilizes the latest DVD technology, three giant screens totaling 15' x 45' and features interviews with celebrities such as Nick Cannon, Hillary Duff, Tony Hawk along with music by Nelly Furtado, the John Butler Trio and Switchfoot. This high-energy, 35-minute show catches students' attention with an exciting blend of powerful imagery along with poignant stories of real young people, celebrity interviews, and clips from major motion pictures.

The show follows three typical teens at a rock concert as they learn to distinguish between the "onstage" hype and "backstage" realities of alcohol and other drug use. The narrators and teen celebrities encourage teens to develop their own personalities based on health and safety, not popularity. Backstage Pass also covers the risks and responsibilities facing new teen drivers given that traffic crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens, and more than one-third of teen traffic deaths are alcohol-related. The show also features powerful true stories that tell the negative impact underage drinking has had on young lives -- and the devastation it has had on their friends and families.

"The fact that traffic crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens is due mostly to three factors -- inexperience, distractions and alcohol," said Deb Morrissett, Vice President -- Safety and Regulatory Affairs, Chrysler Group. "Through efforts such as Backstage Pass and Road Ready Teens, Daimler Chrysler is working to prevent future crashes by offering step-by-step guidelines to help protect teens behind the wheel. If parents and teens followed these steps, tens of thousands of teen crashes could be prevented each and every year."

Backstage Pass is playing in high schools and middle schools across the country and is currently being booked for the fall 2005-2006 school year. The new DVD Class Pack provides the tools for school leaders to take the show's messages into the classroom and includes a facilitator's guide, DVDs, student handouts and three posters to promote the exciting new resource on campus.

MADD is a non-profit grassroots organization with approximately 600 affiliates and 2 million supporters nationwide. MADD's mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. To book Backstage Pass or order the new DVD Class Pack, call 1-800-GET-MADD, visit http://www.schoolassembly.org/ or e-mail MADD at assembly@madd.org . For additional information behind the scenes visit http://www.urbackstage.com/ .

DaimlerChrysler's Road Ready Teens (http://www.roadreadyteens.org/ ) is a research-driven, home-based program for parents and teens. The program includes Get Road Ready: A Parent's Guide to Safely Ease Teens into Driving, and an online driving video game, Road Ready StreetWise, that increases teens' awareness and understanding of driving risks.