MADD Partners with Chrysler Group to Educate Teens About Underage Drinking During Prom and Graduation Season

WHAT: A press conference in Washington, D.C., will celebrate the 21st anniversary of the lifesaving 21 Minimum Drinking Age Act and the 21st anniversary of the Chrysler and Dodge minivans and launch a 21-minivan caravan that will tour the country April 13th through May 5th. The caravan will stop at high schools in 21 cities as part of a grassroots education initiative to raise awareness of the perils of underage drinking and promote teen driving safety.

WHO: Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) President Wendy Hamilton and Chrysler Group Executive Vice President Eric Ridenour will be joined at the press conference by Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Frank Lautenberg, both of whom were instrumental in helping to pass the original legislation, and Mark Rosenker, Acting Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as well as several other members of Congress, their staffs and key program supporters.

  WHEN:  Wednesday, April 13, 2005
         Press conference begins at 11:30 a.m.

  WHERE:  The Mall Capitol Hill
          Between 3rd and 4th Streets
          Washington, D.C.

WHY: The program is strategically timed to help MADD take its messages on underage drinking and driving safety to teens as they are faced with the pressures of prom and graduation celebrations. Use of alcohol is associated with the leading causes of death and injury among teenagers and young adults.

VISUALS: * Presentation of Keys: Wendy J. Hamilton, National President, MADD, will welcome attendees and introduce Eric Ridenour, Executive Vice President, Chrysler Group. Ridenour will present Hamilton with the keys to 21 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans that will be donated to MADD.

* 21 Horn Salute: The tour will officially launch with a 21 Minivan Horn Salute

* Local high school students will take the 21 Pledge and sign their names on a minivan

Additional information and news from DaimlerChrysler is available on the Internet at: http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/