Most people are aware that the laws regarding intoxicated or impaired driving have become progressively stricter over the past few decades, but aren’t aware of the details.
MADD, or Mothers Against Drunk Driving, was begun by Candy Lightner in 1980 after she lost her thirteen-year-old daughter, Cari, in a car accident. Not only was the driver who caused the accident intoxicated, but he had a long record of drunk driving offenses.
She connected with other mothers who had endured similar tragedies. Together, they turned their grief into lobbying, education, and organizing to change the laws around driving under the influence. Within only two years, twenty-four US states passed stricter DUI laws. They also got the support of the federal government for raising the legal drinking age to 21, and in 1983 President Reagan signed the Uniform Drinking Age Act into law. MADD is primarily a US-based activist group, but has branches in Guam, Puerto Rico, and here in Canada.
A Safe Alternative, our business, is not affiliated with this nonprofit organization. However, we share similar goals of saving lives and keeping you safe on the road. For more information, check out their website at: www.madd.ca.