Whenever a tragic accident involving drunk driving occurs, it hits close to home. Most of us know students who forget their limitations and drive off drunk, or may have even made that mistake ourselves.
Young drivers are involved in more alcohol-related crashes than any other age group.
Organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) are determined to put a stop to drunk driving. They offer support to victims of this violent crime and also seek to curb underage drinking.
Over the years, MADD has saved many lives. The organization’s main goal is to “stop drunk driving, no matter what we have to do to get there,” according to Michelle Lettieri of Fairfield County’s MADD.
Lettieri said that MADD has helped save thousands of lives, and plans to continue its plight against drunk driving. This July, MADD is holding a raffle for a 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King, whose funds will directly benefit victims of drunk driving.
Most students at Fairfield are genuinely eager to help out victims of such tragedies, even though they may not be directly involved.
“I feel awful for the victims of drunk driving, and a raffle like this would allow anyone to help out,” says Meghan Sullivan, ’06.
MADD’s motorcycle raffle will undoubtedly help raise money to save more and more lives. Everyone is encouraged to take part in the raffle; hey, you could win a motorcycle or a set of new tires. Or maybe you will help save someone’s life.
MADD is an active organization that works both directly and indirectly with the public. Among many other alcohol-related problems, one of MADD’s greatest concerns deals with underage drinking. The organization retells the stories of many individuals, and though each of them is different, they all have an oddly familiar ring to them.
“The drinking starts on Thursday nights and continues throughout the weekend. When one party runs out of alcohol, we all move on to another party,” said one Fairfield student, who wishes to remain anonymous. ”
“We drink until we can’t drink another shot. Kids keep count of how many drinks they have each night; it’s like a contest. When my parents send me my monthly check for living expenses, I make sure I save enough money to buy beer.”
Our society is one greatly influenced by alcohol. Alcohol is portrayed in a positive light by the media, and, from a very young age, drinking is seen as an American custom.
For teenagers, it’s sort of a rite of passage. The tragic results of drunk driving bring Americans back to that harsh reality of alcohol’s effects, but MADD hopes that their efforts will continue to have an impact on people.
In America, drunk driving is committed more often than any other crime. All around the country, men and women start their cars after one too many drinks, blind to the consequences which could result.
Approximately three out of every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related car accident at some point in their lives.
The grim statistics are enough to scare anyone, and, though many people don’t seem to be affected by the statistics, MADD’s only hope is to make people aware of America’s problem, and eventually, help our country change.
Some of the information in this article was obtained from http://www.madd.org
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