OConnor

Kelly OConnor
Hector Mojena
ENC 2135
March 14, 2016
Project 2
The community of people who have been affected by drunk driving incidents is sadly a
large one. Accidents caused by alcohol impaired drivers happen every single day. Innocent lives
are lost because of something that could have easily been prevented. Drunk driving accidents
have destroyed more than cars; they rip apart families and marriages as well. They cause parents
to bury their children whose lives have been cut short or force a young child to say goodbye to
their parents too soon in life. All of this loss, has brought people together to create organizations
such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, technology like breathalyzers on your car key or built
into the car itself, and decades worth of research on how alcohol affects us so that we can know
our limits and keep people safe.
One of the most reputable organizations that has come about because of these horrific
accidents is Mothers Against Drunk Driving or more commonly known as "MADD." They have
forever changed the face of the community of people who have been effected by drunk driving
incidents. The origin of MADD was from a tragic death of a 13-year-old girl named Cari
Lightner on May 3, 1980. Cari and her friend were walking in a bike lane on a California street
when Cari was hit by a car. The driver never stopped but was eventually tracked down, arrested
and charged for drunk driving and fleeing the scene of an accident. Less than a week after her
death Caris mother, Candy Lightner, and some of her friends all got together and came up with

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an idea to create an organization that would fight to prevent drunk driving accidents and raise
awareness of these occurrences; they called it MADD.
Another incident that was also getting a lot of attention at the same time as Cari's was an
incident involving a woman by the name of Cindi Lamb and her 5-month-old daughter Laura
Lamb. When Cindi and Laura got into an accident with a drunk driver it left Laura paralyzed
from the neck down. At the time of these accidents Congressman Michael Barnes, the press
secretary to Maryland, brought these two women together to have a press conference enabling
him to focus the publics attention on the importance of these incidents and what was happening.
This resulted in the formation of the first chapter of MADD in Maryland by Cindi Lamb. As time
went on and MADD continued to grow the press began to contact them about their comments on
many significant drunk driving cases. This press conference was a major mile stone in the
upcoming of MADD because this was their first major debut to the public and the beginning of
them taking a stand to make a change.

In October 1980, Lightner and Lamb held a national press event along with
Congressman Barnes, Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island, Joan Claybrook
(the Administrator of NHTSA at that time), and Congressman Robert Matsui from
Lightner's home district. Before the press event, some MADD activists marched
around the White House carrying placards. Coverage of this protest by the press
put MADD on the nation's radar screen. (Fell and Voas 197)

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By the end of 1980, MADD began forming chapters all over California and Maryland. Not even
a year after being formed MADD was exploding with success and was the leading organization
in the nation raising awareness on the concern of impaired driving.
In 1982, the government announced the formation of the Presidential Commission on
Drunk Driving. By the end of 1982, there were governor-appointed DUI task forces in 16 states
(Fell and Voas 198). MADD was always pushing for change and in 1988 MADD set up a series
of workshops for citizen activists and political figures to participate in to show that there is a
need for stricter DUI laws and stricter law enforcement. A major issue that was faced during this
time of change was the sobriety checkpoints that began popping up. Some people began to view
them as a violation of rights and unconstitutional. After the case hearing of Michigan State
Police vs. Sitz in 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the checkpoints stating that they
were in no violation of any rights. One major event due to the awareness MADD raises was to
have a National legal drinking age law passed. In July 1984 President Reagan signed into law the
Federal Minimum Drinking Age 21 Act (Fell and Voas 198). This act was an important mile
stone for MADD and everything they represented. Between 1980 and 1995 all of MADDs hard
work began paying off because every year the accidents caused by alcohol impaired drivers
decreased. Within the first 25 years of MADD from 1980-2005 they accomplished so much to
help put an end to the horrible incidents. This was only the beginning for them, and they will not
stop until they put and end to alcohol related accidents altogether.
Not everything has been smooth sailing for MADD over the years, though. Along the
way, they have faced multiple issues, for example, their encounter with the ABL, American
Beverage Licensees. The ABL accused MADD of becoming a prohibitionist towards the
production of alcohol. MADD's only goal is to assist victims affected by alcohol-related

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accidents and not to stop the production of alcohol. MADD and all of its volunteers come
together to help all the victims that are affected by the alcohol-related crashes and guide them in
their time of need and help them navigate the legal system. Their primary goal is to prevent
people who have been drinking too much from getting behind the wheel. MADD does support
current laws that prevent the use of alcohol by people under the age of twenty-one. It is a proven
fact that people who start drinking before they are twenty-one are more likely to develop
alcohol-related issues as they get older and are more likely to be involved in alcohol-related
crashes as well. Another example of accusation ABL had against MADD was of them
criminalizing the thought of having a glass of wine with your dinner which is not the case.
MADD has fought to lower the legal BAC, Blood Alcohol Content, level for everyones safety
but the legal limit right now which is 0.08% is not reached by a glass of wine or a single beer but
rather three or four drinks depending on a person's height and weight. MADD supports the law
of BAC needing to be below 0.08% because there is scientific evidence supporting the fact that
BAC below this level was associated with fewer accidents. All the scientific evidence so far has
shown that it is safer to drive with a BAC of 0.08% rather than 0.10% and that is all that MADD
is concerned about, the safety of the people.
MADD has put on many events, but the event that MADD is most known for is the
Walk Like MADD event. This event has two purposes, which are to raise money for the local
chapter of MADD and to raise awareness of the effects of drunk driving incidents. The reason
MADD raises money is so that they can put on local events for free to help encourage their
community to come out and gain knowledge on drunk driving issues and how to prevent drunk
driving accidents from occurring. Thousands of people come together nationwide and help put
this event on all over the country to raise awareness. Some cities even incorporate a 5K called

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MADD Dash, into the walk for the people who enjoy to run and even award first, second, and
third place for the people who want to challenge themselves. At the Walk Like MADD events,
which are an all day ordeal, they have booths set up where you can go to get more information
on MADD and other sponsors of MADD. When the Walk begins early in the morning, all the
families that have been effected come together at the starting line to walk in their memory. The
families make t-shirts for everyone to wear that have come to support them and make signs to
walk with that have a picture of their lost loved ones on it. Once everyone begins to walk along
the 5K path it is amazing what happens, all the love and support everyone there has for each
other is shown through the comfort that everyone shares. Every year new friendships are made
and support systems are established. Throughout the day, MADD also puts on a silent auction to
help raise money. Once the Walk comes to an end, everyone gathers at the stage and participates
in a butterfly release ceremony. This ceremony is suppose to focus on the remembrance of the
victims and to represent the new life they have started. One of the MADD members reads a
speech in memory of all the lives that have been lost and once they are done dozens of butterflies
are released. It is a beautiful ceremony that brings comfort to all who are there that have been
effected.
This walk is a huge event because it does more than raise awareness for the community, it
brings people together who have been effected by these tragedies and supplies them a safety
blanket of support. I have seen how hard this process has been for my Aunt and what she has
been through and it is heart breaking. The more involved she has become in this community the
easier this struggle has become for her. She has made life long bonds with the other families that
have suffered the way she has and the support they all share warms my heart. When I
participated in this walk with my Aunt last year I saw strangers walk up to each other and listen

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to each others stories and comfort one another while we walked and it was amazing to me how
people who were complete strangers could mange to support each other. It is like these people
have a whole other level of understanding that only someone who has suffered the way they have
can understand. Every year they all come out and meet new people and raise money for the lost
loved ones to hopefully prevent other families from suffering the way they all have. MADD has
done so many events to raise awareness and money.
Another event that MADD did to raise awareness was pair up with Uber in San Francisco
for July 4th in 2014. On this day using the Uber code UberMADD $1 of every ride went to the
MADD foundation. The few days of the fourth of July celebrations are one of the most notorious
for drunk driving incidents and events like what MADD and Uber came up with to show that
there is hope to put an end to them. The main reason this promotion was put together was to
show people that drunk driving accidents are 100% preventable with using other forms of
transportation such as Uber or a designated driver, so there is no reason for someone to drive
while intoxicated.
MADD even has their personal tips to prevent people from driving drunk and how to
approach these situations if they present themselves. They say the best way to prevent these
accidents is to have a designated driver, its as simple as that, but lifes not always simple. If you
are faced with the situation of someone being intoxicated and trying to drive there are a few
things you can do to prevent this from happening. A few of the things MADD suggests to do are
to be as non-confrontational as possible, nonchalantly suggest a different way for them to get
home, offer them the option to sleep over, or tell them how much you dont want them to drive
because you care about them and dont want them to get hurt or even worse, hurt someone else
and have that haunt them for the rest of their lives. Most likely one of these will work, if not and

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there is nothing you can do to stop them, call the police. Yes it does sound like extreme measures
but it is better for the person to be arrested rather than killed in an accident. This last resort
option to call the police may cause some issues but in the long run, your friend will see what you
did and why you did it and be grateful that you saved their life and prevented them from making
a mistake.
Since raising awareness and making laws is making an impact but not completely putting
an end to drunk driving something else needs to be done. No matter how many times you tell
people the dangers of driving drunk and how it could ruin their lives or tell them the horror
stories of families that have lost loved ones from these tragic accidents, people still drive drunk.
Why do people do this? Because most people think they are invincible and that something like
that will never happen to them. So, the question to be asked is what else is being done to try to
put an end to drunk driving? Well, there have been a few recent inventions that could change
everything and maybe even prevent these accidents from happening ever again.
If every car had an alcohol detection system in it that would test if your BAC was too
high to drive, could specifically identify each person individually, and could prevent you from
using the vehicle if you did not pass the BAC test would save many lives and possibly even stop
drunk driving altogether. Two inventors by the names Nolann George Williams and Ronald Louis
Williams had this same idea and decided to bring it to life. These two inventors filed for the
patent fairly recently and have yet to be granted one. If these inventors are given a patent and
have the opportunity to make this invention become more than just an idea and have it become
produced and used inside cars in the future, they could save thousands of lives every year.
Another invention that was created to help prevent drunk driving accidents is the i-KEY.
The i-KEY was created in Hong Kong in 2005. This was the first drunk driving device created

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that was not attached to the vehicle. The i-KEY takes a breathalyzer and attaches it to any car
key. The device puts a lock on the key that prevents you from being able to fully stick the key in
the ignition unless you pass the breathalyzer test. To use the i-Key you simply have to blow into
the breathalyzer and if you pass the test a green light comes on and the lock is released allowing
you to start your car, if you fail the test a red light comes on, and the lock stays locked
preventing you from being able to start the car. The alcohol detection system and the i-KEY are
only a few of the many inventions that have come about to help save people from getting behind
the wheel of a vehicle while their judgment is impaired. I truly believe if the i-KEY was
produced in the United States and were a standard feature in all new cars it would save thousands
of lives. The product has its pros and cons but in my opinion the safety outcome out weighs any
cons.
Other important information to know to prevent drunk driving accidents is to know how
much alcohol one person can consume before becoming impaired making them unable to drive
and to know which people are more at risk than others so you can keep an eye out for your
friends and family. Over the years a lot of research has been done by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, also known as the CDC, to see how much alcohol causes someone to be
impaired and what our limit is; Even though it sounds simple the answer to this is different for
everyone along with the collection of data to see who is most at risk and the age ranges that are
most affected. The CDC asked themselves the question How can deaths and injuries from
impaired driving be prevented? and they came up with some things that can be done. First and
foremost, strictly enforce BAC and legal drinking age laws. Other examples of things that could
be done are using sobriety checkpoints, revoking the drivers license of someone who drove while
under the influence of alcohol or drugs, using community-based approaches to DWI prevention,

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require people who have been convicted of DWI to take a substance abuse course or seek
treatment and raising the price of alcohol. The CDC has come to the conclusion after their
continuous research that the BAC legal limit should be reduced to 0.05%, but that has not yet
happened. To reach a BAC level of 0.08%, you would need to have about four drinks and to
reach 0.05% you would have to have about three drinks. The CDC has also come up with their
own steps for a person to keep himself or herself safe and plan ahead. No matter what, the first
thing you should do is to take your safety into your own hands if you plan to be drinking. First,
designate someone who is not drinking to drive you home or plan to call a ride service such as
Uber, Lyft, or taxi. Once you know that you are set and have a ride home pay attention as the
night goes on, watch out for your friends because they might not have been smart enough to plan
ahead. If you see, they are clearly in no condition to drive take their keys and find them another
ride home. Most importantly if you are the one hosting the party where alcohol is being served
make sure that all of your guests get home safely and remind them when they get there to make
plans to get another ride home if they plan to be drinking. Knowing how to protect yourself and
others in situations where alcohol is involved is very important because this is the cause of all
alcohol-related accidents.
After having conducted all of this research and seeing how far we have come in
preventing drunk driving accidents has changed my view on the death of my cousins. I love them
very much and miss them every day. I now see why my Aunt, Uncle and cousin joined this
community. They have done nothing but raise awareness since Shawn, Germania, and Amy
passed because they don't want another family to suffer the way we have suffered. Our lives have
never been the same since they passed. My Aunt and Uncle should be Grandma and Grandpa,
and my cousin should be an Uncle, Holidays shouldn't be depressing, and family gathers

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shouldn't always feel incomplete. Seeing how passionate my family is about this and their
ultimate goal, I would be more than happy to become apart of this community and help them
continue to raise awareness. I shouldn't be sad that they are gone because they are in a better
place, and there is nothing I can do to change that, but I know for a fact that they would want us
to do exactly what my family has been doing in their memory. If some of the technology that I
mentioned previously becomes mass produced and is put in cars or on key chains it could change
everything, and I would be proud to say that I was a part of a community that helped make that
happen.

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Works Cited

Fell, James C., and Robert B. Voas. "Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD): The First 25
years." Traffic Injury Prevention. Vol. 7. Calverton, Maryland: Pacific Institute for
Research and Evaluation, 2007. 195-212.
Toomey, Traci L. "American Beverage Licensees attack Mothers Against Drunk Driving."
Addiction. Vol. 100. N.p.: Wiley Blackwell, 2005. 1389.
"About Walk Like MADD." Walk Like MADD. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
Matson, Sally. Personal interview. 12 March 2016.
Allen, Kristen. Personal Interview. 8 March 2016.
"Uber and MADD Join Forces for #UberMADD National Partnership to Prevent Drunk
Driving." PR Newswire 2 July 2014. General OneFile. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
"Tips: How to Prevent Someone from Driving Drunk." MADD No More Victims. MADD, 2015.
Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
"Patents; Researchers Submit Patent Application, 'Alcohol Detection System for Vehicle Driver
Testing with Integral Temperature Compensation', for Approval." Electronics
Newsweekly. NewsRx, 8 July 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
"Champion Technology's i-KEY Project Kicks Off." IDDPA. iddpa.org, 2014. Web. 15 Mar.
2016.
"IPH, LLC; Patent Issued for Interactive Blood-Alcohol Content Tester." Journal of Engineering.
Atlanta: NewsRx, 2014. 2485.
"Injury Prevention & Control: Motor Vehicle Safety." Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 24 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Mar.

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2016.

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