National Press Release

Lives Will Be Saved On Florida Roads Thanks to New Interlock Law

See Interlock Technology in Action

TAMPA, Fla., June 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) leadership will join approximately 500 local supporters on Saturday, June 28, at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo to participate in Walk Like MADD, a 5K non-competitive walk that encourages the community to support MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 959 people were killed in Florida in traffic crashes involving a driver or a motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher in 2006.

"The main reason people continue to drive drunk today - despite 27 years of intense public education and law enforcement's best efforts - is because they can," said Glynn Birch, national president of MADD. "My son might be here today if the offender that killed him had an interlock on his vehicle." Birch's 21-month-old-son Courtney was killed on May 3, 1988 by a drunk driver with a blood alcohol level of .26 at the time of the crash and was driving with a revoked license and three prior DUI convictions.

An alcohol ignition interlock is a breath test device linked to a vehicle's ignition system used on the vehicles of convicted drunk drivers. According to new data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Florida's families are sharing the road with 108,853 drunk drivers with three or more DUI convictions, and of those, 13,054 with five or more convictions.

Florida has taken great strides to improve the safety of its roads. On June 17, Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed into law CS 1992, a highway safety bill that requires a period of interlock use for all high BAC (.15 or higher) convicted drunk drivers. This new law will ensure that thousands more convicted of drunk driving are unable to repeat their crime. In the past, Florida's law only allowed judges to require interlock devices for convicted drunk driving offenders with a high BAC of .20 on the second offense or higher.

"MADD is grateful for the support of Florida's lawmakers' efforts to strengthen the state's ignition interlock laws," said Don Murray, Executive Director of MADD Florida. "In particular, we thank Senator Carey Baker, who sponsored CS 1992, and also Senator Stephen Wise and Representative David Simmons for championing lifesaving interlock legislation."

While Florida's new law is a great step, MADD Florida will call for stronger interlock legislation in 2009, requiring all convicted drunk drivers to install an ignition interlock. MADD will ask Walk Like MADD participants to sign the Pledge to Eliminate Drunk Driving and show support for the 2009 interlock proposal.

"If all states required alcohol ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, we could save up to 4,000 lives a year," said MADD National President-Elect, Laura Dean Mooney. "It's one of the proven methods we can use to help eliminate drunk driving from our nation's roads."

MADD's current national president, Glynn Birch from Florida, is turning over the reigns to Laura Dean-Mooney, also from Florida, at the beginning of July. Following the death of her husband Mike in a drunk driving crash, Laura joined MADD to help craft better laws to ensure the tragedy never affected another family.

Tampa's first Walk Like MADD event helps raise money and awareness to support MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which, in addition to lifesaving alcohol ignition interlocks, calls for stepped-up enforcement, including sobriety checkpoints and/or saturation patrols.

The ceremonies will begin at 7:00 a.m., with the walk following at 7:30 a.m. Demonstrations of alcohol ignition interlocks will be conducted throughout the morning, and walkers will be encouraged to sign MADD's Campaign pledge.

This year, Walk Like MADD events take place in more than 30 cities across the country. Please visit www.walklikeMADD.org to register, donate or get more information. To learn more about MADD or to receive free victim services, please visit www.madd.org or call (813) 935-2676.

Walk Like MADD Event Information for Saturday, June 28, 2008

WHO: MADD National President Glynn Birch

MADD National President-Elect, Laura Dean Mooney

Florida Executive Director, Don Murray

WHEN: Saturday, June 28, 2008

Ceremonies Begin - 7:00 a.m.

Walk Begins - 7:30 a.m.

Interlock Demonstrations throughout the morning

WHERE: Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo

SOURCE Mothers Against Drunk Driving