Tag Archives: red ribbon

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

MADD’S ‘TIE ONE ON FOR SAFETY’ 2012

MADD’s “Tie One On For Safety” Holiday Campaign Cautions Drivers as More Highway Deaths Caused by Drunk Driving

Thanksgiving was the Deadliest Thursday of 2010; Puts Spotlight on “Blackout Wednesday” — 

Press Release: PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — As we kick off the holidays with Thanksgiving, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is reminding adults to plan ahead for a safe way home if they’re planning to drink alcohol during the season’s festivities. Data show that the time period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day includes some of the most dangerous days for drunk driving deaths, and the numbers are getting worse in recent years — as annual drunk driving deaths have decreased, there has been an increase in the proportion of drunk driving deaths around the holidays. In addition, there’s a troubling trend of drunk driving fatalities in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Thursday, following what’s becoming known as “Blackout Wednesday,” a time when people who are home for the holiday are choosing to celebrate with excessive amounts of alcohol. 

The proportion of people killed in drunk driving crashes (.08 BAC and above) over the Thanksgiving holiday spiked by 30 percent in 2010 compared to the rest of the year. Additionally, the number of drunk driving deaths increased by 24 percent compared with the year prior. Below are further details about fatalities over the holiday in recent years:

Thanksgiving Holiday (includes “Blackout Wednesday” and the weekend following Thanksgiving)

  • 2010*: 174 people killed (40 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2009: 140 people killed (34 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2008: 180 people killed (35 percent of highway deaths)

“These numbers are very concerning to MADD because the number of people killed in drunk driving crashes over Thanksgiving is up, along with the percentage of highway deaths caused by drunk driving during the holiday period,” said MADD National President Jan Withers. “Drunk driving is a complex problem, but the solution is simple: plan ahead for a sober designated driver if you’re going to drink alcohol.”

MADD’s Tie One On For Safety red ribbon campaign, now in its 26th year, is the organization’s signature public awareness project and is sponsored by National Presenting Sponsor Nationwide Insurance. Drivers across the country display MADD red ribbons on their vehicles as a pledge to drive safe and sober. The ribbons also signify support for law enforcement officers, who will be out in force as part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.

“During a time of year when some may choose to ‘tie one on’ in celebration of the holidays, MADD and Nationwide encourage drivers to Tie One On For Safety by displaying a red ribbon as a visible reminder to keep our roads safe,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide Insurance Associate Vice President of Consumer Safety. “It’s about setting an example for your friends and family, co-workers and neighbors — if you drink, don’t drive.”

It’s not just the Thanksgiving holiday that can be dangerous. On average in 2010, 31 percent of highway fatalities were caused by drunk driving. However, this number spikes dramatically over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays too:

Christmas Holiday (includes Christmas Eve and the surrounding holiday weekend)

  • 2010: 96 people killed (37 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2009: 95 people killed (36 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2008: 138 people killed (32 percent of highway deaths)

New Year’s Holiday (includes the holiday weekend surrounding New Year’s Eve)

  • 2010: 143 people killed (48 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2009: 185 people killed (40 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2008: 175 people killed (41 percent of highway deaths)

New Year’s Day, as well,  is especially dangerous, with 57 percent of all traffic fatalities involving a drunk driver in 2010. 

If you don’t have a MADD red ribbon, put any type of red ribbon on your car in order to show your support for this serious campaign.  Read the statistics and don’t become one.  Enjoy your holiday season safely.

Source: PR Newswire/US Newswire

Uncategorized

TIE ONE ON FOR SAFETY!

For the past 24 years, M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) have campaigned during the holiday season to make the public aware of the seriousness of driving sober and being buckled up.  Everyone knows that there are more drunk, drugged, distracted drivers on the roads during December than probably any other time.  

Originally named Project Red Ribbon, their campaign started in 1986, to heighten public awareness to drinking and driving during holidays.  Their goal was to get the public involved by tying a red ribbon to a visible place on their vehicle, such as an antenna or side mirror.  By doing so, you are pledging to drive sober and buckle up.  That is a pretty simple request; I hope to see lots of red ribbons on cars as we travel this Friday.

If you live in an area where there is a M.A.D.D. affiliate, you can pick up red ribbons – they are free!  If not, go buy some and do your part.  Anyone can promote this worthwhile cause.  There are easy ways to do so: leave a recorded phone message; display drunk driving statistics at work, distribute ribbons at meetings or parties, and most of all – be a responsible party host! 

Because this is such an important subject, I am going to re-post drunk driving statistics from an earlier article, “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest:”

Statistics from National Highway Transportation Safety Administration show that during last year, a total of 10,839 persons were killed in alcohol-related vehicle accidents (that’s one person every 48 minutes!)  Of those:

        7,281 –  (67%) of the fatalities were drivers with a BAC of .08 or more;

       1,772 –  (17%) of fatalities were passengers with the impaired drivers.

        1,119 –  (10%) of fatalities were occupants of other vehicles.

           667 –   (6%) of fatalities were pedestrians or non-occupants of the vehicles.

That represents almost 11,000 persons who lost their lives because of alcohol abuse in 2009, many of them innocent victims. 

M.A.D.D. members are comprised of many parents and others who have lost loved ones because of the selfish act of irresponsible driving.  Not only does the public have to contend with drunk drivers, but those who are under the influence of drugs, and other distractions, such as texting and talking on a cell phone while driving.  Persons need to realize that the vehicle they are driving is a big piece of machinery that can’t drive itself!  (I wonder if we would drive more carefully if we pretended that the people in every car we meet or pass were our family members?)

Do your part this year, and go get a red ribbon to attach to your side mirror.  Let others know that you are going to be sober when you get behind the wheel and that you will buckle up before you start the car.  By displaying the ribbon, you are joining law enforcement and safety advocates in supporting M.A.D.D.’s cause.  Law enforcement officers will have a Zero tolerance for drinking and driving and will be checking seatbelt use, as well.

May you have safe and happy holidays this season!