Essay on MADD, A Driving Force for Change

Advertisements posted on the website facesofdrunkdriving.com share multiple stories of people who were unexpectedly struck by drunk drivers. There was one story in particular that stood out to me more than the others and that was Jacqueline Saburido’s. This advertisement makes a powerful statement about how drunk driving can not only kill someone, but can also scar someone for life. The goal of the organization that posted this advertisement is to never drink and drive. It is not worth risking your life, someone else’s life, or putting anyone at risk of lifelong hardships and injuries. They present

In the very beginning, MADD stood for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and there initial mission was "to mobilize victims and their allies to establish the public conviction that impaired driving is unacceptable and criminal in order to promote corresponding public policy, programs and personal accountability" (MADD Homepage). According to the cite, in 1984 they changed it to Mothers Against Drunk Driving and they mainly focused on eliminating the crime and prevent the actual act of drinking and driving. They wanted to stop drunk driving and help the victims that were affected by this violent crime. As the years go by, MADD slightly changes their mission. Now, they want to stop drunken driving, supports the victims of this crime, and to prevent underage drinking (MADD Homepage).

Driving under the influence has affected many people's lives and families. Today I would like to talk to you about the problems of drinking and driving, and why it is a concern for all of us. Driving under the influence is one of the most common and dangerous situations you can put yourself or someone else in. The fact is that drinking and driving is a huge deal and can leave a long trail of broken dreams and hearts. If you drink and drive, not only are you putting yourself at risk, but your passengers and the pedestrians outside of your vehicle. According to the most recent statistics by the National Commission Against Drunk Driving states that 17,000 Americans die each year in alcohol- related traffic crashes and 600,000 Americans

First you might ask what is the MADD and what do those letters stand for? Well I will tell you MADD is a lobby group for drinking and driving and they’re a huge organization throughout North America. MADD stands for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and they’re main goal is to prevent people from drinking and driving because it is a huge killer in Canada and US. MADD has helped save more than 268,000 lives

When it comes to an alcohol safety policy, the United States has never attracted more research and public attention than the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). In the U.S., the legal drinking age is one of the highest worldwide. The MLDA of 21 is to control traffic fatalities, protect young teens from killing themselves while driving under the influence, and prevent damage medically to a developing brain of a young adult. Many Americans believe that the drinking age of 21 has not stopped teen binge drinking events in uncontrolled environments; however, studies have shown that teens have not yet reached an age where they can handle alcohol responsibly, thus the drinking age should remain at 21.

Drunk driving is an issue that effects many people across our nation. People do not realize the affects alcohol can have on the body and mind that slow decision making while driving. This issue begins in the home. Children see their parents, or other adults figures, have a beer or a cocktail and get in the car. Thus, making it seem like it is acceptable to drink and drive. “One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime” (MADD).

The facts are plain and simple, that alcohol and driving do not mix. About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol related crash at some time in their lives. Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable. To curb this national travesty, concerned Americans need to examine the problems, the effects, and the solutions to drunk driving. First of all, America has had a problem with drunk driving since Ford perfected the assembly line. Alcoholism is a problem in and of itself, but combined with driving can have a wide range of effects. The consequences of this reckless behavior can include a first time DUI or licenses suspension; a small fender bender, or worst of all a deadly crash. Most

“In the hands of an impaired driver, a vehicle becomes a murderous weapon.” ( ) Everyone can think of someone who has driven impaired, or even maybe you have done it yourself. The fact that one can think of someone who has driven impaired is a problem. Too many people are getting behind the wheel after drinking, smoking; or are not paying attention while they drive. Impaired driving continues to a problem although strides have been made to make a difference. There are many different types of impaired driving, each that have their own consequences. These types, and consequences will be explored in this essay.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving wants to send the message that drunk driving is bad and hurts people, however one of the only images of a person in a bad situation that they can conjure up is a child with a physical disability. Not only do they use the image of a person in a wheelchair to scare people

Mothers Against Drunk Driving aims to create the safest possible environment for a young adults to develop, but their argument contains a sense of ignorance to the reality

Driving under the Influence is a dangerous trend and is known to cause many critical accidents and deaths which could have been easily prevented. Even though the consequences for DUI arrests are strict, they seem to not be effective enough. The toll of alcohol-related deaths, repeated offenders, and accidents is still rising, leaving the streets dangerous and families devastated. Over half the drivers arrested for drunk driving in the nation, are repeated offenders. I stand strongly against drunk drivers; They are a threat to themselves and society and believe that they should be taught a tough lesson when caught. Therefore, the charges for Driving Under the Influence laws need to

The third interest group of topic is a single interest group called Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also known as MADD. A single interest group is a group of persons working on behalf of or strongly supporting a particular cause, such as an item of legislation, an industry, or a special segment of society. (Answer.com) Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a non-profit organization seeking to stop drunk driving, support victims of drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and push for stricter alcohol policy overall. MADD was incorporated on September 5, 1980, the purposes of MADD as stated in its Articles of Incorporation were “To aid the victims of crimes performed by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to aid

In 2013, 10,076 people were killed in drunk driving incidents. Out of those people, 65% (6,515) were drivers, 27% (2,724) were passengers, and 8% (837) were non-passengers (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). Over half of those fatalities (67.1%) involved blood alcohol levels over .15% (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). The legal blood-alcohol content is .08%. Drunk driving caused 31% of deaths in car crashes in 2013 (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). In 2012, 402 people were killed by alcohol impairment in North Carolina (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). These numbers, though they seem astonishing, have been cut in half since 1991 (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). Even though the number of fatalities has been lowered, that number is not low enough. Most drunk drivers are repeat offenders. Lives are being taken because of the careless attitude of the drunk drivers. Drunk driving is selfish; those who commit this crime do not think about the extreme consequences of their actions. In North America it is estimated that 1-5 drivers has been drinking and 1 in 10 is legally impaired on any Friday or Saturday night (Root). Many groups, including MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), are fighting to stop drunk driving. Unfortunately, drunk driving cannot be stopped. People will always commit this heinous crime. The numbers may go down, but unfortunately there will always be a number. The only way to continually decrease the amount of lives lost is to increase punishments for drunk driving.

This plan is aiming to eliminate impaired driving. They are hoping to do this by eradicating public policies and legislative reforms that will inform the public and law makers about how serious driving drunk is (Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Statement of beliefs, n.d.). Another initiative is to provide care and compassion to victims and survivors. This will be done by reaching out to victims and survivors and creating alliances and partnerships with other victim services organizations (Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Statement of beliefs, n.d.). There will public education that will inform youths about how serious impaired driving is. Another strategic plan they have is they want to strengthen their organization by 2020. They hope to do so by “improve MADD Canada’s approach and use of technology to support volunteer recruitment, training and development” (Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Statement of beliefs, n.d.). This is important since they really want to focus on increasing their number of volunteers who want to help make a change to their community. Volunteers are essential since they can inform others in the community about how MADD Canada wants to make a change to the Criminal Code of Canada and have stiffer penalties for persons who do drive

Driving under the influence of alcohol has affected and devastated countless people’s lives. Driving under the influence is one of the most dangerous situations you can put yourself or someone else into. The evidence against driving while intoxicated is massive and it has left a long trail of broken dreams and lives. If you drink and drive, not only do you possibly put yourself at risk, but your passengers and pedestrians, and other people on the roads. According to the most recent statistics by the National Commission Against Drunk Driving is that 17, 000 Americans die each year in alcohol-related traffic crashes and 600,000 Americans are injured. (National Commission Against Drunk Driving, 2003). That’s an average of one fatality every