MADD
Honors Victims on 15th Anniversary of Nation's Worst DUI Crash,
Unveils Federal Plan
Commemorating the
15th anniversary of the Kentucky Bus Crash, the worst drunk driving
crash in U.S. history, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and
members of Congress recently honored victims and survivors with
a national moment of silence and announced details of MADD's federal
proposal to reduce drunk driving deaths and injuries.
The
call to action coincides with the release of new government
statistics showing an increase in alcohol-related traffic deaths
for the third year in a row and Congress' reauthorization of the
multi-year, multi-billion dollar Transportation Equity Act of
the 21st Century (TEA-21) for which MADD urged inclusion of a
package of highway safety provisions to re-ignite the war on drunk
driving.
The
MADD proposal would establish a first-time National Traffic Safety
Fund for ongoing enforcement crackdowns, such as sobriety checkpoints,
to curb drunk driving and boost seat belt use. It also calls for
stricter accountability controls to ensure that federal funds
are used more effectively and strategically at the state and national
level with increased leadership from the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA).
MADD
also wants the reauthorization of TEA-21 to prod states to enact
get-tough laws targeting "higher-risk" drivers as a
condition of receiving their full share of federal highway funds
and to encourage passage of state primary seat belt enforcement
laws. MADD defines a "higher-risk driver" as a repeat
drunk driving offender, a driver with a high blood-alcohol concentration
(BAC) of .15 or greater, or someone driving on a suspended
license where the suspension is the result of a prior DUI conviction.
The
1988 Kentucky Bus crash in which 24 youth and 3 adults were killed
and 30 others were injured on their way home from a church outing
was caused by a repeat drunk driving offender with a .24 percent
blood alcohol concentration (BAC), heading the wrong way down
the highway in a pickup truck.
Last
year nearly 18,000 people were killed and 500,000 others were
injured in crashes involving alcohol, representing 49 deaths and
1,370 injuries every day. About one-third of drivers arrested
or convicted of DUI are repeat offenders.
"Drunk
drivers are slipping through cracks in the system because of public
and political complacency," said Wendy J. Hamilton, MADD
national president. "The result is a growing number of broken
bodies, broken families and broken hearts left in the wake of
drunks behind the wheel."
Hamilton's
sister Becky and nephew Timmy were killed in a crash resulting
from a drunk driver with a .16 percent BAC - twice the illegal
limit in the majority of states and the District of Columbia.
(CONTINUE...)
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