Mothers Against Drunk Driving Essay -- Alcohol Teenagers Papers, DUI

Mothers Against Drunk Driving In the year 2001 more then 800,000 injuries occurred in the United States from alcohol related accidents, while more than 40% of automobile crashes were due to the abuse of alcohol (MADD homepage). These overwhelming statistics are just a small piece of the very large puzzle that stuns the nation with deaths every year. For some people, these statistics are more than just phrases on paper they are words that are haunting reminders of the tragedies and losses they have experienced in their lifetime. One such mother was so distraught by the loss of her thirteen year old daughter Carrie Lightner, who was killed by a drunk driver, began the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). On the other side of the country another mother was feeling the same pain as her five and a half month old daughter, Laura Lamb, took her last breath after a drunk driver struck their car. Together these women joined forces to share their sufferings with others in the same situation, while striving to prevent future accidents and conditions such as the ones they had just experienced. Since MADD has been in existence there has been a 43% decline in alcohol related traffic fatalities (MADD stats and resources homepage). It has consistently been providing statistics on excessive drinking, complete drunk driving research, the effects of underage drinking, laws regarding alcohol, and current news stories. MADD is not just advertised on the television and library, but has continuously been able to reach the public through the use of the internet. The website www.madd.org has reached thousands of people to spread the word of the harmful effects of alcohol abuse whether the consumer is underage or not. The large load of ... ...ople still take the keys after drinking alcohol. The holiday season is traumatic to so many families as in the year 2001 there were 4,943 deaths between Thanksgiving and New Years because of alcohol abuse (MADD statistics and resources). When is enough, enough? When will the public take some initiative and responsibility? When will people start paying closer attention to their actions and then the consequences? MADD has already taken this step and has been working for the past twenty years in making a difference. There endless support and dedication to the issue is clearly a necessity as they have worked to create programs and awareness on the issue. The statistics provided have been so appalling that after one has read the material on the MADD homepage, they will already become aware, but upon continuing to it’s links, the reader will feel the need to take action.