MADD Announces National Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving

Combination of Stronger Enforcement, Tougher Laws and Advanced Technology Make it Possible to Remove Threat

DOT, NHTSA, IIHS, GHSA, IACP, the Century Council, DISCUS and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Join Forces in Support of Campaign

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 -- In a bold new effort designed to eradicate one of the nation's deadliest crimes, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) today launched its national Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which aims to literally wipe out drunk driving in the United States.

Despite a more than 40 percent decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalities since MADD was founded in 1980, the threat still remains. Every year, nearly 13,000 people are killed by drunk drivers with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above and countless others are injured. This represents more than 1,000 families every month that must live with the tragic consequences of drunk driving.

"The real possibility of eliminating drunk driving in this country is a powerful, even audacious, idea. Yet the tools are now at hand. Using technology, tougher enforcement, stronger laws and grassroots mobilization, the goal of eliminating a primary public health threat that has plagued the United States is within our reach," said Glynn Birch, national president of MADD, whose 21-month-old son was killed by a drunk driver in 1988.

As a nation, our efforts to prevent drunk driving fatalities have stalled. MADD's plan to eliminate this public health threat requires new strategies to complement current methods. Today, MADD is announcing a 4-point plan to lead the nation toward the goals of eliminating drunk driving:

* Intensive high-visibility law enforcement, including twice-yearly crackdowns and frequent enforcement efforts that include sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols in all 50 states;

* Full implementation of current alcohol ignition interlock technologies, including efforts to require alcohol ignition interlock devices for all convicted drunk drivers. A key part of this effort will be working with judges, prosecutors and state driver's license officials to stop the revolving door of repeat offenders;

* Exploration of advanced vehicle technologies through the establishment of a Blue Ribbon panel of international safety experts to assess the feasibility of a range of technologies that would prevent drunk driving. These technologies must be moderately priced, absolutely reliable, set at the legal BAC limit and unobtrusive to the sober driver; and

* Mobilization of grassroots support, led by MADD and its 400+ affiliates, to make the elimination of drunk driving a reality. MADD is uniting drunk driving victims, families, community leaders, and policy makers in the fight to eliminate drunk driving.

With emerging technology, the vision that drunk drivers will not be able to operate vehicles is no longer a dream but, with substantial research, a real possibility. But to achieve it, all four strategies must succeed. Interlock use must expand to all convicted drunk drivers. Emerging technologies must be developed into effective and practical devices that don't inhibit lawful drivers. High-visibility enforcement must continue. All three of these components must be backed up by effective communications and broad public support.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters said, "Drunk driving is a problem that is painful and persistent, but it's also preventable. Pairing the public and private sectors for the common good is a powerful combination, one that will help us achieve real results in terms of saving lives and preventing injuries."

Secretary Peters was joined at the event by NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason, who is the Honorary Chair of the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving.

Joining MADD at the press conference were the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the Century Council, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Properly implemented, this public/private partnership will lead to the elimination of one of the primary public health threats to the American family for the last 100 years. Each supporter will pursue these initiatives according to their own policies and procedures.

Lt. Colonel Jim Champagne, immediate past chairman of GHSA, endorsed the Campaign as a way to renew attention to the drunk driving problem. According to Champagne, "State Highway Safety Agencies were pleased to work with MADD to help develop this new Campaign and we think it sends a clear message to those who may be tempted to drive drunk: we will use every tool at our disposal to keep our roads safe and when we arrest you -- and we will -- there will be no leniency."

Highly visible law enforcement crackdowns, including checkpoints and saturation patrols, are proven to get drunk drivers off the road. Eighty- seven percent of Americans support the use of sobriety checkpoints, yet 10 states still prohibit the use of them. The Campaign will work to make checkpoints legal in all states.

"Impaired driving is not just another traffic offense; it is a serious crime that often causes needless deaths and injuries," said IACP President Joseph Carter, Chief of the MBTA Transit Police Department. "More than two decades of research have demonstrated that sobriety checkpoints and other law enforcement efforts make a difference. They are vitally effective techniques to get impaired drivers off of our roads."

Research shows that the overwhelming majority of people arrested for drunk driving have driven drunk more than 50 times before their first arrest. Two- thirds of those whose licenses are suspended for DUI drive anyway. Interlocks are proven to be up to 90 percent effective while on the vehicle, yet it is estimated that only one in eight convicted drunk drivers each year currently get the device, and most of those are repeat offenders. Sixty-five percent of the public support mandatory interlocks for first time offenders, and 85 percent of the public support mandatory interlocks for repeat offenders.

The Honorable Susan Molinari, chairman of The Century Council, noted, "I thank MADD for having the vision that eliminating drunk driving is possible and that to do it, it requires many different stakeholders at the table. By working together, we can eliminate drunk driving."

In addition to stronger enforcement and mandatory interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, MADD supports the development of new sensor technology already underway that allows a vehicle to recognize if a driver is drunk, and to stop the driver from operating that vehicle. The public is overwhelmingly supportive: by a 4 to 1 margin (58 percent to 16 percent), Americans support advances in smart vehicle technology to prevent drunk driving.

"Enforcement is essential, but we know we'll never arrest all drunk drivers once they get on the road," said Susan Ferguson, senior vice president of research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and chair of the newly-announced Blue Ribbon Panel for the Development of Advanced Alcohol Detection Technology. "If society is to eliminate the carnage caused by drunk drivers, we must do more to prevent them from drinking and driving in the first place. Fortunately, advanced technology is being developed that may allow quick, reliable detection to do just that."

MADD, NHTSA, the auto industry and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are forming a cooperative research initiative via the Blue Ribbon Panel for the Development of Advanced Alcohol Detection Technology to help bring this new technology to market in the next 10 years through a non-regulatory, voluntary and data driven effort.

"The Institute has long studied the most effective ways to enforce alcohol-impaired driving laws," adds Adrian Lund, president of IIHS. "Now our research will have two broad objectives: to maximize the effectiveness of laws and enforcement techniques and to study how new technology can fit seamlessly into the driving task without affecting the majority of drivers who drive sober."

At least four classes of technology warrant further investigation by the Blue Ribbon Panel: advanced breath testing, both individual testing and testing for alcohol in the vehicle; using visible light to measure BAC (spectroscopy); using non-invasive touch-based systems to measure BAC transdermally; and eye movement measurement technology, including the involuntary eye movements (or nystagmus) related to BAC, and eye closure that can indicate drowsiness.

"There is no single solution that will eliminate drunk driving. Drunk driving remains a behavioral challenge, an enforcement challenge and a challenge requiring innovative new approaches, including exploring new technologies," said Fred Webber, president & CEO, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "These diverse organizations are well suited to address the long-term strategy."

MADD intends to work with law enforcement agencies, judicial organizations, auto manufacturers, insurers, distilled spirits companies, technology companies, safety advocates, health care professionals, and emergency technicians to abolish drunk driving in the U.S. through the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving.

MADD's mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. Founded in 1980, MADD has helped save more than 330,000 lives. MADD is a 501 (c)(3) charity with approximately 400 entities nationwide and 2 million members and supporters. For more information, visit http://www.madd.org/, http://www.madd.org/campaign or call 1-800-GET-MADD.

NOTE TO EDITORS: B-roll Footage from 11-20-06 Teleconference SATELLITE COORDINATES WHAT: MADD Announces Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving WHEN: Monday, November 20, 2006 from 1-1:15pm & 4-4:15pm EDT COORDINATES: Intelsat A-6 Transponder 05 D/L Frequency 3800 Vertical Audio 6.2/6.8 C-Band CONTACT: Anne Roberts at 877-544-8400 (toll-free)