MADD Launches New Initiative to Eliminate Drunk Driving

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) launched their “Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving” with a press conference earlier this month. Of greatest note to our members, the MADD campaign message specifically calls for the increased normalization of ignition interlocks in fleet and privately owned vehicles.

Speaking in support of the campaign to eliminate drunk driving at the news conference were MADD CEO Chuck Hurley and MADD National President Glynn Birch; US DOT Secretary Mary Peters; Dr. Susan Ferguson of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; Jim Champagne, immediate past chairman of the Governors Highway Safety Association; Fred Webber, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers; James McMahon, chief of staff, International Association of Chiefs of Police; Hon. Susan Molinari, chair of the Century Council; and Dr. Peter Cressy, president and CEO, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

The press conference marked the beginning of MADD’s push to eliminate drunk driving within the next 10 years. Despite significant decreases in alcohol related highway deaths over the past 25 years, MADD and its supporters believe that in order to achieve their goal, MADD must step up its push for “new technologies” to prevent drunk drivers from operating a vehicle. As MADD President Glynn Birch state yesterday, "If we can't stop drunks from driving, we'll stop vehicles from driving drunks."

The four-point plan that was outlined by Birch includes:

• “Intensive high-visibility law enforcement”, with an emphasis on “sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols” in all 50 states. Birch noted that 10 states currently do not allow checkpoints and MADD will be working with their legislatures to change that.
• “Full implementation of current alcohol ignition interlock technologies”, with an ignition interlock device required for all first-time offenders. Of note is MADD’s strategy to lobby judges to include interlocks as part of sentencing.
• “Exploration of advanced vehicle technologies”, which was explained by Susan Ferguson of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and will involve promoting allegedly unobtrusive technology to monitor those who choose to operate a vehicle
•  “Mobilization of grassroots support”, which is something that MADD has become very good at over the past 25 years.

While the entire alcohol beverage industry remain universally opposed to drunk driving and have long sought workable solutions to the problem, MADD’s new campaign has been met with some consternation by the industry; primarily because of legitimate concerns of the impact this new campaign could have on responsible adults who choose to drink responsibly prior to driving. The MADD campaign and the message yesterday seemingly aim to blur the line even more between “drunk driving” and “drinking and driving”, which has raised some red flags.

One important development is the general support of this campaign by the producer tier’s major trade association of the distilled spirits industry, DISCUS. Though DISCUS has attempted to walk a fine line between the alcohol industry and MADD on this subject, its presence at the press conference yesterday links it (and its more reasonable approach of targeting hardcore drunk drivers with BACs twice the legal limit and higher) with the more invasive, intrusive and ominous positions voiced by other groups that called for the elimination of responsible drinking prior to driving altogether.

We’re opposed to drunk driving. However, we support the 60 million adults who choose to drink responsibly, safely, and legally before driving. Unfortunately, it appears that the vast majority of those voicing support for this new campaign do not share the same sentiment. Take for example some of the comments from Jim Champagne, immediate past chairman of the Governors Highway Safety Association, who remarked that they are “dedicated to this new revolt against the drinking drivers of this nation.” He added, “It’s handcuffs and it’s a trip to the jail if you decide to drink and drive.”

These comments and the underlying position they imply are unacceptable and reckless, but it also appears that they belie the claimed position of MADD when it comes to eliminating drinking prior to driving altogether. Though MADD CEO Chuck Hurley stated at the end of the press conference that, “MADD has no intention to go below .08”, the realities of implementing universal interlocks-which is to say an interlock in every car, even for those who have never been convicted of drunk driving- do not bear this out.

We are in the process of considering an appropriate response to this campaign, including increased public education on the issue of ignition interlocks, and how other new social-monitoring technologies being studied would affect the lives of ordinary, responsible adults. Stay tuned for further developments.