Getting behind the wheel while under the influence is a crime that puts the driver and others on the road in danger. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2020 saw 11,654 people killed in drunk driving accidents.
Drunk driving means driving under the influence of alcohol, but many drivers involved in impaired driving accidents also have prescription or illegal drugs in their systems. This type of infraction is known as drugged driving and is considered a preventable crime.
Combining alcohol with other drugs increases the risks of drugged driving. In hopes of curbing the rising rates of impaired driving, many organizations have been established over the years.
The following offers information on some of the most devoted drunk and drugged driving organizations. These foundations work to strip away the confusion and get to the root cause of people getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
MADD, as it is most often known, has three primary goals.
- To stop impaired driving
- To support injured victims of drunk driving accidents
- To prevent incidences of underage drinking
For more than 30 years, MADD has saved over 300,000 lives. This organization fights for the cause through crime legislation, victim advocacy, and educational efforts.
Fathers Against Drunk Driving
FADD is an organization with a focus on working to eliminate impaired driving crashes on United States highways. This organization works to educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving through programs, campaigns, and events.
Fathers Against Drunk Driving is made up of students, teachers, law enforcement agencies, and veterans. Veterans Against Drunk Driving is an affiliate group to FADD and is comprised of veterans who fight to make a difference and prevent this type of crime.
Students Against Drunk Driving
The primary objective of SADD is to educate young people and teens on the risks of drinking and driving through community-based programs. As of now, there are 350,000 active student members.
SADD has chapters in high schools, middle schools, and colleges. With student-focused programs, media outreach, and leadership training, Students Against Drunk Driving seeks to prevent the deaths of young people and their family members involved in impaired driving accidents.
Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported around 1.5 million people are arrested each year for driving while drunk. This equates to 1 out of every 121 licensed drivers.
This foundation hopes to change these frightening statistics. The organization seeks to eliminate underage drinking and driving under the influence entirely by increasing public awareness.
The organization operates a website for educational purposes and works through many social media platforms. The foundation’s primary goal is to open the dialogue among youth and adults so everyone will become more responsible with alcohol consumption.
International Drunk Driving Prevention Association
Unfortunately, drinking and driving is a global problem. IDDPA fights to eliminate drunk driving throughout the world, working to educate people on the dangers of getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.
The International Drunk Driving Prevention Association’s primary goal is to keep highways and roadways in all parts of the world safe from intoxicated drivers through awareness campaigns. This organization believes education and support are the biggest deterrents in preventing people from drinking and driving.
We Save Lives (Including Drugged Driving)
We Save Lives is also fighting for the cause of stopping people from operating a vehicle while under the influence. This organization gets behind focus-driven legislation to bring about programs that prevent drunk driving and death rates.
We Save Lives is working to make a difference in the world by promoting education through viral awareness, partnerships, and victim assistance. The organization also works to stop drugged driving and prevent drug use.
Drinking and Driving Penalties Are Increasing in Every State
The United States is passing laws to curb drinking and driving for all age groups and increase highway safety. Through research, organizations and legislators have discovered that there is no clear-cut method of stopping impaired driving, though the following initiatives are proving successful in many states.
- Most states have a minimum drinking age of 21, and they work to enforce these laws consistently while attempting to prevent underage drinking.
- All 50 states utilize sobriety checkpoints to conduct drunk driving arrests before they cause serious or even deadly accidents.
- Many states are now enforcing lower blood alcohol concentration level (BAC level) arrests as low as .05 to enhance highway safety.
- Community-based education and prevention enforcement groups like those above are used to educate the public on the dangers of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
- Some states are even raising the cost of alcohol to deter people from drinking irresponsibly and causing accident injuries through reckless behavior.
- States are also adopting laws requiring DWI defendants to undergo mandatory substance abuse treatment.
The fight to end impaired driving and motor vehicle accidents may never end. The goal is to reduce the instances as much as possible and prevent destructive decisions.
We must educate young people so the next generations will be wiser in their behavior towards consuming alcohol once of legal drinking age. While there is nothing wrong with drinking alcohol responsibly, destructive decisions like getting behind the wheel while intoxicated are deadly and a crime.
Legal Representation for Impaired Driving Offenses
While most people drink responsibly and want to follow the law, mistakes happen. Sometimes, people do not know they are over the legal level. You may have even gotten behind the wheel without realizing you were impaired or drugged driving.
If you have been charged with a DWI, getting legal representation is essential. Contacting an attorney with experience working with DWI offenses will protect your rights and best interests.