August 2002 Newsletter

President’s Letter
I recently had the opportunity to visit a local adult detention center as a speaker for MADD. Fortunately, my stay was very brief. As you enjoy the summer weather with friends and family, please remember to designate a driver. If you are hosting an event, please ensure that folks do not get behind the wheel after having too much to drink. A taxi or a comfortable couch is much more inviting than an extended stay in the detention center!

As part of our efforts to support law enforcement, we frequently visit checkpoints and ride along with officers on patrol. Our law enforcement in Northern Virginia is truly exceptional, and they are working hard to remove drunk drivers from our roads. I witnessed their professionalism and dedication at an Alexandria checkpoint a few weeks ago.

I encourage you to visit a checkpoint or ride along with an officer - the experience is rewarding and often eye- opening! Please contact the office if you are interested.

Just prior to the summer break, we launched a successful financial grant program to help promote safe and alcohol-free prom and graduation activities. Twenty-five of our area high schools participated in the program with the goal of preventing underage drinking. Over the next few months, we will develop new and innovative school partnerships - watch this newsletter for information!

The fight to stop drunk driving in Northern Virginia is waged on many fronts. Our court monitoring program is alive and expanding. Our victim services are growing with the training of new advocates. Our speakers continue to deliver MADD's message throughout Northern Virginia. We are currently working to extend our community and youth outreach programs, but we need your help and ideas! Please consider volunteering some time with MADD. Your support will make a difference! Contact the office at 703-379-1135 or office@maddnova.org to volunteer!
Dan Ingram

Newsletter Renewals
Are you a current member of MADD NoVA? If you are a Crash Victim, Family of a Crash Victim, or dues paying Annual Member, you will continue to receive the newsletter. However, due to increased postage and publishing costs, we must purge our mailing list. If you are not a Crash Victim or Family of a Crash Victim and you have not communicated with us in more than a year, please cut out the Membership Application, fill it in, and return it to us. We don’t want to lose you but we need to know if you still want to continue to receive this newsletter. Please respond today!

Sobriety Checkpoints
One of the best deterrents to drunk driving is the use of Sobriety Checkpoints. Because of their effectiveness and high visibility, most law enforcement agencies in Northern Virginia routinely operate them. To show our support for these efforts, MADD members often volunteer to come out to Sobriety Checkpoints. Depending on the jurisdiction, we hand out red ribbons, assist with traffic counts, or help out as needed. If you would like to participate, please call the MADD office and we will let you know about upcoming checkpoints.

Bad News
We have received the 2001 preliminary figures for alcohol-related fatalities in Virginia and the numbers are not good. Last newsletter, Dan Ingram discussed how the death toll nationally has stopped its decline. Well, locally we are doing even worse.

The number of alcohol-related deaths statewide rose from 355 in 2000 to 358 in 2001. In Northern Virginia, the number of alcohol-related fatalities has gone from 39 in 1999 to 47 in 2000 and to 49 in 2001.

What is causing this? One possible explanation is the frequency with which prosecutors and judges are allowing drunk drivers to plead guilty to Reckless Driving in lieu of DUI. Our court monitors are gathering statistics about this practice and we will be reporting the results as soon as we have them. If you would like to become a court monitor, please call the office at 703-379-1135 to get into the next training class.

Have FUN and Volunteer
Again this summer, we will be operating the Designated Driver Booths at the Virginia Wine Festival on August 17 and 18. This is a great opportunity to help make our roadways safer and have lots of fun at the same time. We will need about 60 volunteers to help staff the booths that give free soda to those festival attendees who do not choose to taste the wine. In exchange for helping out for a few hours, you get free admission to the festival. Please call the chapter office at 703-379-1135 to get on the list.

New Logo
MADD has a new logo. The new logo is designed to more clearly communicate our mission to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. In addition to having a new logo, we have a renewed commitment to saving lives and reducing the most preventable serious crime in our country. You can help in this fight. Please call our office to see if any of our volunteer programs are right for you. You’ll be glad that you did.

Speakers Available
MADD Northern Virginia has a growing list of individuals willing to speak in area schools and explain the dangers of drinking and driving and underage drinking. The speakers are available to address any size audience from elementary school through high school and will tailor their message accordingly. Most of our speakers are victims of drunk driving crashes and have a powerful story to share. If you know of a school that would benefit from this educational service please contact our office.

Victim Memorial Board
We are in the process of creating a new Victim Memorial Board. If you would like to have your loved one represented please contact the office. We will need a picture and a short paragraph describing the tragedy. The memorial board will be displayed in a variety of settings including many high schools that have expressed interest in sharing it with the students.