MADD's Silver Anniversary Cause for Celebrating Lives

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Turns 25 & Celebrates the 300,000 Lives Saved by Countermeasures

DALLAS, Aug. 31 -- Think back 25 years to 1980. Ronald Reagan is elected President. Ted Turner launches CNN. And, a group of women whose lives were devastated by the impact of drunk driving formed an organization that would forever change the societal fabric of our nation. Officially established September 5, 1980, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has helped save more than 300,000 lives since its inception.

"MADD's silver anniversary is a perfect opportunity to remember that every action our volunteers and staff, along with law enforcement, legislators, community leaders, moms and dads, brothers and sisters, take to fight drunk driving saves lives and prevents injuries," says Glynn R. Birch, MADD's new and first male national president. "One of the 300,000 lives we have helped save may have been your own."

   Thanks to MADD and its partners ...
   *  "Designated driver" is now a household term.
   *  Alcohol-related traffic fatalities have decreased by 44 percent since
      1980.  Still today, someone dies about every 30 minutes in an alcohol-
      related crash, accounting for nearly 17,000 deaths annually.  A half a
      million others are injured each year.
   *  The Federal 21 minimum drinking age law was passed 21 years ago,
      saving more than 19,000 lives since becoming law in 1984.
   *  The national illegal drunk driving level is .08 percent blood alcohol
      concentration (BAC), enacted in every state this year.
   *  As one of the leading crime victim assistance organizations in the
      nation, MADD served more than 31,000 victims/survivors of drunk
      driving in 2004, and this year increased its potential to assist
      victims/survivors with the establishment of a 24-hour national
      helpline, 1-877-MADD-HELP.
   *  Ribbons became a tool for safety.  The red ribbon "Tie One On For
      Safety" public awareness campaign launched in 1986 and is MADD's most
      recognizable and longest running national campaign.

"The real success is that we have made the drunk driving issue real and personal by bringing the stories of the countless victims/survivors to the forefront of the nation's consciousness," adds Birch. "As we celebrate lives saved, we also honor the lives ended and injured as a result of a 100 percent preventable crime."

To commemorate its 25th anniversary, MADD will hold a celebratory rally on September 29th in Washington, D.C. at the Upper Senate Park (Louisiana & D Streets). Hundreds of MADD volunteers, along with current and past MADD presidents and Federal leaders will gather in the shadow of the Capitol Dome to honor this milestone and release new information about the public's attitudes on drunk driving.

MADD's mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. MADD is a 501 (c)(3) charity with approximately 600 affiliates nationwide, plus affiliates in Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico and Sweden. To find your local chapter, visit http://www.madd.org/ .

For more information on MADD's history and 25th anniversary activities, visit http://www.madd.org/25 .