Last Updated on September 17, 2015 by Morris Green

Finding Common Ground With Organizations Against Drunk Driving and The Agencies That Work With DWI Offenders

A quick search for the term “against drunk driving” returned no less than 11.4 Million results. The first page of these results list several organizations with the exact phrase and many with a similar phrase in the name of their cause or group.

Some of them include:

• MADD: Mothers Against Drunk Driving
• FADD: Fathers Against Drunk Driving
• TADD: Teens Against Drunk Driving
• IDDPA: International Drunk Driving Prevention
• DDPO: Drunk Driving Prevention Organization
• BADD: Bikers Against Drunk Driving

And this is just to name a few. While each of the organizations is centered around different interest groups, their mission is the same: to prevent drunk driving by advocating for the victims of people who drink and drive.

Organizations Against Drunk Drivers Give a Voice to Victims of Drinking and Driving

For many of the organizations that take a stance against drunk driving, the goal is not only to tell people not to drink and drive, but also to stand up for the families who have been victims of people who drink and drive. In the United States, someone who driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs kills 28-30 people every day. This number accounts for more than 31% (one out of 3) automobile deaths.

This is why groups such as MADD and FADD have made it their mission to:

But How Is Drunk Driving Actually Prevented?

The Center for Disease Control gives the following methods as proven ways to prevent drunk driving:

• Enforcement of the minimum drinking age (21 in most states)
• Sobriety checkpoints
• Community-based programs for education and prevention
• Enforcement of lower blood alcohol content level (currently in most states, 0.08 is the BAC level for drunk driving arrests. Some states are passing laws to lower this rate to .05)
• Raising the price of alcohol
• Requiring mandatory substance abuse treatment for DWI offenders

While there is not a simple solution to preventing people from drunk driving, what is clear is there are some ways that actually get to the root of the problem that have shown to be effective. What we know is that getting through to people about the dangers of drunk driving takes more than awareness campaigns. While some people are motivated to do the right thing when they know the consequences of a negative behavior, some simply do not respond to that type of communication.

For some people, their wake up call doesn’t come until after they have gotten into trouble or suffered some kind of repercussion or unintended outcome. So in our line of work as providers of DWI services including alcohol education and substance abuse counseling, we have seen the positive effect of working directly with people who drink and drive. Yes, we provide assistance, support and advocacy for the very people who break the law and get behind the wheel of a vehicle, putting their lives and others in danger.

Why Would Any Organization Advocate for the Education and Correction of Drunk Drivers?

Did you know only 1 in 5 people who have a problem with a substance actually seek help? That’s only 20%. The other 80% may eventually get help, but not without the intervention of a friend or family member. So even with the all of the campaigns against drunk driving, some people will still drink and drive. It’s such a challenging problem that every state in the United States has programs in place to correct the behavior of drunk driving offenders. These programs range from drug treatment facilities to incarceration to alcohol and drug education classes, and include the following types of agencies:

• DWI Service Providers
• Alcohol and Drug Counseling
• Residential Treatment Facilities
• Drug Rehab Facilities
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Law Enforcement and Sobriety Checkpoints
• DWI Attorneys

What makes programs provided by these entities so effective is that they meet a need for the person who needs it most. In most cases, people arrested for drunk driving are first time offenders. When a person who has never been arrested for drinking and driving before receives the proper education in an environment where they can feel they are being supported, the chances of them repeating the crime are reduced significantly. So where prevention failed to get through to them the first time, education and correction have served to help the person convicted of drinking and driving by preventing a repeat offense.

Is this system perfect? No. In fact, even after receiving classes and serving time, some people will still get behind the wheel while impaired. What we realize is that if our goal is to truly prevent drunk driving, it will take more than simply being “against drunk driving.” It will require groups on both sides of the system – both those who advocate for the victims and those who are working with the offender. As DWI service providers, our job is to keep drunk drivers off the road. It is to help them – not judge them, not scold them – but to truly provide the support and education they need that will help them make better decisions.

The truth is: We’re all on the same side!

Drunk driving is wrong. None of us advocate for anyone who is under the influence to get behind the wheel of any vehicle. We do not support the act of drunk driving. Our vision is to see organizations like MADD and SADD come together with organizations that provide education to the offenders and find the common ground of keeping our roads safe.

What do you think?