Today, Mothers Against Drunk Driving released its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving: 2015 Report to the Nation, an update of MADD’s efforts to end the completely preventable crime of drunk driving. The report provides an overview of legislative accomplishments, highlights state-by-state drunk driving reform and offers a glimpse of what is on the horizon as MADD enters its 35th anniversary year.
“2015 promises to bring a year of change, growth and celebration as MADD celebrates 35 years of saving lives,” said MADD’s new National President Colleen Sheehey-Church, whose 18-year-old son was killed in a drunk and drugged driving crash. “Our work is far from over. This year, we want to make even more progress through MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving by advocating for mandatory ignition interlock laws in the 26 states without them, continuing to support law enforcement efforts to catch and deter drunk drivers and encouraging the development of in-vehicle technology that will one day make drunk driving impossible.”
A key feature of the Campaign’s report is MADD’s five-star rating of each state, based on the adoption of the following drunk driving laws and/or implementation of proven countermeasures:
Requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers
Conducting sobriety checkpoints
Creating enhanced penalties for those who drive drunk with children in the vehicle
Participating in “no-refusal” activities for those suspected of drunk driving
Utilizing Administrative License Revocation for drunk driving offenders
The Campaign’s impact is evident. This year, Delaware, Mississippi and Alabama joined the 10 other states in earning a five-star rating for passing interlock laws for all offenders. New Hampshire elevated its rating from three to four stars by enacting this life-saving measure. Two states, Rhode Island and Montana, received a one-star rating.
“MADD’s highest legislative priority is for every state to pass an all-offender interlock law,” Sheehey-Church added. “Across the nation, states like New Mexico, Arizona and Louisiana have seen a 36 to 45 percent reduction in drunk driving fatalities. This is a proven method for saving lives while reforming dangerous drunk driving behavior.”
The report also highlights federal ignition interlock grant dollars that could be available to states that pass laws requiring all convicted drunk drivers to install interlock devices. The $20 million in grant funds were established as part of the 2012 federal highway bill, known as MAP-21. States considering interlock legislation in 2015, such as California, New Jersey, and Maryland, could apply for hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to help defray the cost of administering an interlock program should they pass new and stronger interlock laws.
“A key part of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving is to help overcome obstacles to passing effective laws that will stop this 100 percent preventable crime,” said Debbie Weir, chief executive officer of MADD. “MADD’s campaign is a blueprint for the nation in which no family suffers the tragic and lifelong consequences of drunk driving.”
To view MADD’s Report to the Nation, visit madd.org/campaignreport. MADD is the sole author of the report, which is based on 34 years of experience working to pass lifesaving legislation, along with data from various respected government, research and public safety organization sources. For more information about MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, visit www.madd.org/campaign.
