MADD Pacific Northwest to Join Labor Day Crackdown on Drunk Driving

National Effort Teams MADD with Tens of Thousands of Law Enforcement Officers Warning Drivers: If You Drive Drunk, You Will be Arrested

SEATTLE, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following advisory is being issued by Mothers Against Drunk Driving:

  What:    The Pacific Northwest Region of Mothers Against Drunk Driving
           (MADD) will hold a news conference to kick off a statewide drunk
           driving crackdown that aims to keep our streets safe at a
           historically dangerous period -- Labor Day weekend. MADD is
           working with law enforcement this holiday weekend to send the
           message: if you drive at or over the illegal limit, you will be
           under arrest.

           The effort in Washington state, Drive Hammered, Get Nailed, is
           sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
           (NHTSA) in partnership with MADD, the Washington Traffic Safety
           Commission and the Washington State Patrol. During the crackdown,
           law enforcement officials will intensify enforcement of drunk
           driving laws by conducting high-visibility enforcement efforts
           such as saturation patrols.

  When:    Wednesday, August 29th
           11:00 a.m. PDT

  Where:   The Sheraton Seattle Hotel
           Issaquah Room (3rd floor)
           1400 6th Avenue
           Seattle, Washington 98101
           * If directions are needed, please contact Judy Eakin at
             425-251-5252 (ext. 103)

  Who:     Attending the press conference will be:
              -- Chuck Hurley, CEO, MADD
              -- Jim Ports, Deputy Administrator, NHTSA
              -- Rob McKenna, Washington State Attorney General
              -- Judy Eakin, Regional Executive Director, MADD Pacific
                 Northwest
              -- Ernest Sickey, MADD Pacific Northwest
              -- Lowell Porter, Director, Washington Traffic Safety
                 Commission
              -- Brian Ursino, Assistant Chief, Washington State Patrol
              -- Karen Minahan, a victim of drunk driving

  Why:     Drunk driving is the nation's most frequently committed violent
           crime. In 2006, 225 people in Washington and nearly 13,500 people
           nationally were killed in crashes where the driver had a blood
           alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. Research shows that
           frequent and highly publicized saturation patrols reduce deaths
           and injuries due to drunk driving. The two-and-a-half week
           enforcement wave in Washington runs from August 15 - September 3.

           High-visibility enforcement, a proven method to reduce the number
           of deaths and injuries caused by drunk driving, is one of the
           four components of MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving.
           The other elements include: mandatory ignition interlocks for all
           convicted drunk drivers, development of advanced vehicle
           technology to detect and stop drunk drivers, and mobilization of
           grassroots support.