Get Involved With MADD to Help Us Win Battle Against Drunk Driving
Get Involved With MADD to Help Us Win Battle Against Drunk Driving
The one thing that riles me are the Michigan drivers who against all reason still drink too much alcohol and get behind the wheel of their car and risk the lives of innocent people. Michigan has very tough laws against drunk drivers and police and prosecutors stand ready to throw the book at violators. We have invested millions of dollars in public education campaigns to warn against the dangers of drinking and driving.
In spite of all this alcohol-related accidents are so prevalent that four out of ten persons in America will be involved in a traffic accident caused by an alcohol-impaired driver at some point in their lives.
This is so dangerous because a driver with the minimum legal blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 or greater is seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a driver who has not consumed alcohol. And the impaired driver with a BAC of 0.25 is 25 times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash. Simply put, the more you drink the more likely you will kill someone.
Party-goers fool themselves that they have not consumed enough beer, wine or liquor to be impaired. But a 160-pound person drinking two beers in one hour, while not legally impaired, is 1 ½ times more likely to have an accident than someone who is sober. So once you are at the six pack level of consumption you are a killer on the loose.
I am a loyal supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Each year I sponsor the annual LifeSaver Awards Luncheon sponsored by MADD of Southeast Michigan that pays special tribute to police officers who have a demonstrated record of removing drunk drivers from the roadways.
Every year some 14,000 people are killed by drunk drivers with an illegal alcohol level of 0.08 BAC or above. This represents more than 1,000 families every month that must live with the tragic consequences of drunk driving.
I fully offered my support to the MADD of SE Michigan Chapter when it launched its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. An important element of that campaign was the unprecedented support for intensive high-visibility law enforcement, such as its “Over the Limit – Under Arrest” campaign. The aim of this effort was to deter future drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel while impaired.
MADD is a grass roots organization with more than 400 entities nationwide. 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 about 600 offices and two million members and supporters nationwide. Founded in 1980, MADD has helped save more than 400,000 lives and has trained more than 1,200 victim advocates across the country.
I would encourage anyone to become involved in MADD and join this national campaign to eliminate drunk driving in America. If not, I certainly urge you to always insist that drinkers don’t drive which might mean you will have to volunteer to be a designated driver. When you drive for your drunken friend you remove one more killer from behind the wheel.
