At our first In-Person Rotary Lunch Meeting, since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the club had Allison Platt from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Allison said, "MADD's mission to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking."
Drunk Driving Statistics:
- Every 2 minutes someone is injured in a drunk driving crash.
- Every 51 minutes someone is killed.
- 2 out of 3 people will be impacted by a drunk driving accident in their life.
- Drunk driving is still the #1 cause of death on our roadways.
Under Age Drinking:
- Alcohol use by those under the age 21 isn't a rite of passage.
- It’s dangerous. It’s deadly. And it sets kids up for a lifetime of negative consequences.
- 4300 people are killed each year due to teen alcohol use- more then all other drug use combination.
- Youth who start drinking before age 15 are 6 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life.
In 2015, MADD expanded its mission to include fighting drug-impaired driving. MADD created a Drugged Driving Task Force with key law enforcement, traffic safety and research experts to study the potential effects of marijuana legalization, the national opioid crisis and the prevalence of prescription drugs could have on impaired driving.
What they learned:
- Proven tools to combat drunk driving, such as high-visibility law enforcement, will detect and stop drugged driving too.
- More research, more data and better testing are needed to fully understand the impact of marijuana legalization and other drugs on traffic safety and the under 21 population.
- Alcohol is a drug that took years of research to understand and establish methods for measuring its impairing effects. The same cannot be said for measuring impairment caused by other drugs, but that doesn’t diminish the seriousness of drug-impaired driving.
Allison explained how individuals can become involved. MADD has a wide variety of opportunities to match your interests and expertise. Some options include:
- Advocate for Change: Work to strengthen existing laws and pass new ones.
- Lend a Shoulder: Become a trained volunteer
- Victim Advocate or a Help Line volunteer and provide emotional support to victims and survivors.
- Advise a Board: Consider a community leadership role by serving on a local advisory board.
- Take Steps to Raise Funds: Sign up for Walk Like MADD in your community or as a virtual walker online to help raise mission funds to end drunk driving.
- Speak Out: Join the Speakers Bureau program and speak at schools, civic groups, clubs and other organizations.
- Spread the Word: Distribute MADD’s Tie One On For Safety red ribbons to encourage people not to drink and drive. Tie a ribbon on your vehicle to show your commitment.
- Monitor the Courts: Ensure that justice is being served by monitoring DUI cases.
- Help Victims Be Heard: Coordinate a Victim Impact Panel where victims share their story to drunk and drugged driving offenders.
- Flex Some Power: Inspire youth, train parents or mobilize community activities to prevent underage drinking and reduces alcohol access to youth.
- Honor Heroes: Recognize law enforcement and first responders at shift briefings or sobriety checkpoints to say thanks for keeping our roads safe.
- Roll Up Your Sleeves: Help set up events, run an information booth or attend community fairs.
- Mail Some Help: Research local drunk and drugged driving crashes, then mail “We Care” cards to the victims of these tragic events.
- Give a Hand: Answer phones, make copies or perform other office support duties.
It was a great first back to in-person meetings, everyone enjoyed seeing each other.
Pres. Tammy & Allison Platt from MADD.