MADD's New Program Will Revolutionize the Organization's Nationwide Engagement and Outreach Efforts
IRVING, Texas, Jan. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is responding to a staggering 35% surge in drunk driving over the past decade by launching a National Ambassador Program that will significantly expand its grassroots effort to reach more high-risk audiences and local communities nationwide. Impaired driving has increased by 14% two years in a row and has caused 13,000 deaths for the first time since 2007. Every 79 seconds, someone in the U.S. is killed or injured by a drunk driver — and that number does not include the deaths and injuries caused by drivers who were impaired by other drugs, such as cannabis. Our nation is facing a public health crisis; therefore, MADD is taking bold and impactful steps to address this dire situation.
MADD's National Ambassador Program will amplify the voices of volunteers who represent a wide range of voices— each with a personal connection to the tragedies of impaired driving. By deploying an array of many voices, this initiative will enhance MADD's ability to engage with various communities across the United States and Puerto Rico, fostering greater mobilization, change, and impact.
"As we approach nearly half a century of commitment to victims and survivors of impaired driving, these ambassadors will be pivotal in driving our mission forward, touching more lives, and creating lasting change," said MADD CEO Stacey D. Stewart.
MADD's National Ambassador Program is designed to achieve three critical objectives:
- Urgently address the skyrocketing increase of impaired driving fatalities, which affects Americans from all walks of life.
- Amplify more voices of victims and survivors.
- Extend MADD's reach to communities nationwide, focusing on assisting victims and survivors while proactively engaging in impaired-driving prevention efforts.
The ambassadors are looking forward to creating dialogue that leads to change. They are excited to raise awareness and inspire engagement, advance local and national advocacy priorities, participate in fundraising and partner events, elevate MADD's chorus of voices on social media, and much more.
"With more voices and one unified mission, we can extend MADD's reach to communities while amplifying the voices of victims and survivors nationwide," explained Stewart. "We must evolve and take decisive action in response to the grave reality on our roadways. That's why we are expanding our national voice — to influence more communities to combat this dramatic surge in drunk driving deaths, as we await lifesaving auto technology that will ultimately end this crime."
In several years, technology will be required in new cars that will begin to eliminate impaired driving thanks to MADD's 2021 legislative victory. The HALT Drunk Driving Act was included as a provision in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which passed Congress and was signed into law in November 2021. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has until November 15, 2024, to complete its drunk driving prevention technology rulemaking so that carmakers can include the tech in their new vehicles as soon as 2026. However, MADD feels compelled to address the impaired driving increase unfolding now.
The National Ambassador Program kicks off with a robust digital presence and launch event. The public and MADD volunteers can follow the exciting developments via social media on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
More information about the MADD National Ambassador program: madd.org/ambassadors
About Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nonprofit leader in a movement to create a world where there are #NoMoreVictims of impaired driving. By working in collaboration with law enforcement to end underage drinking and all drunk and drugged driving, MADD has helped reduce drunk driving deaths by more than 50%, saving more than 400,000 lives. The organization is a vocal advocate for tougher sentencing, new laws and new technology, including implementation of the Halt Act. MADD also has provided supportive services to nearly one million victims of drunk and drugged driving at no charge through local victim advocates and its 24-Hour Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP. For more information or to make a donation, visit us at https://madd.org/ and follow MADD on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Media Contact
Monica Gonzalez, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 9728976137, [email protected], Mothers Against Drunk Driving
SOURCE Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Share this article