Fall 09
Transcription
Fall 09
About Virginia Fall 2009 Programs Crackdown on Impaired Driving Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Kicks Off Nationwide Enforcement Crackdown on Impaired Driving Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood released a new study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that shows an increasing trend among women driving under the influence of alcohol. The new analysis is based on an increase in the number of alcoholimpaired female drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2008 compared to the 2007 statistics. “Impaired driving is an issue that cuts across all segments of society and, sadly, the number of arrests of women driving under the influence is on the rise,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This is clearly a very disturbing trend.” The Secretary pointed to statistics from the FBI showing that arrests for women driving under the influ- ence increased by nearly 30 percent (28.8%) over the 10-year period from 1998 to 2007. Over that same decade, DUI arrests for men decreased by 7.5 percent, although the total number of men arrested during the period outstripped women by about four to one. The NHTSA study confirmed the FBI statistics showing that impaired driving by women is becoming a national safety issue. According to the NHTSA analysis, the number of impaired women drivers involved in fatal crashes increased in 10 states, and remained flat in five states-despite an overall decline of 9 percent in all drunk driver crashes in 2008 from 2007. Overall, about 2,000 fatalities a year involve an impaired female driver. To view the NHTSA report, go to: http://www.nhtsa. gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/reports/811095.pdf. For more information: http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/ In This Issue... Tie One On For Safety........................ Victim Impact Panels.......................... Victim Services.................................... Pledge to Eliminate Drunk Driving.... Checkpoint Strikeforce........................ Court Monitoring................................ Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 6 MADD VA/DC Partnership During November and December, spirits are high, celebrations abound and travel increases on America’s roadways. Unfortunately, drunk driving is usually on the rise as well. In Virginia alone, in November and December 2008, there were 1874 alcohol related crashes resulting in 51 fatalities and 1267 injuries. That’s why MADD conducts Tie One On for Safety, our popular public awareness campaign, each year during the winter holiday season. This Year MADD VA/DC and State Farm Insurance are partners in a campaign Kick off at universities in major markets across Virginia, including Howard University in Washington DC, The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia State University in Petersburg and Norfolk State University in Tidewater. MADD created Tie One On For Safety – originally named the ‘Project Red Ribbon’ campaign – in 1986 to help heighten public awareness about drinking and driving during the holiday season. The program was designed to encourage the public to take action against drunk driving by tying a MADD ribbon to their vehicle’s antenna or side mirror as a pledge to drive safe, sober and buckled up during the holidays and throughout the year. Our message includes safety belts because they’re the best defense in a crash. Activities with State Farm Insurance to support the campaign are organized by a majority of MADD’s 400 offices across the country. Tie One On For Safety Goals: • Recruit the public to tie a MADD red ribbon to their vehicles or display a window decal as a pledge to drive safe, sober and buckled up and to support MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. • Increase awareness about drunk driving during the holiday season • Offer suggestions to deter drunk driving through MADD’s safe party tips and the promotion of designate a sober driver programs. • Increase MADD’s identity with the MADD ribbon and its symbolic meaning to prevent drunk driving and help save lives. Together, we distribute more than 6 million ribbons and ribbon symbols each year. Call the MADD VA / DC office if you would like to participate! Members of the Bristol Virginia Chapter of MADD participated in the Food City Family Race Night Event on August 20, 2009. Held in conjunction with races at Bristol Motor Speedway, Family Race Nights are an opportunity for the community to meet drivers, get autographs, see show cars, and enjoy free food and entertainment. Chapter members gave out red ribbons and chatted with thousands of people who attended. Chapter members pictured from left: Lisa Hartman, Gloria Slagle, Nicole Slagle, Rosalie Smith and Jessica Hartman. Page 2 Victim Impact Panels MADD VA continues a successful partnership with Court Services Programs and Alcohol Safety Action Programs (ASAP’s) across Virginia by providing Victim Impact Panels for offenders who have been referred by the courts as part of sentencing on DUI charges. Some participating localities are listed below. MADD volunteers also speak at Victim Impact Panel’s in Rappahannock, Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange, Fredericksburg, Newport News, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, and Lynchburg. ASAP Program and Localities Served Alexandria ASAP: City of Alexandria Bull Run ASAP: Counties of Prince William and Loudoun; Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park; Towns of Dumfries, Haymarket, Leesburg, Middleburg, Occoquan, Purcellville, and Quantico Capital Area ASAP: Counties of Goochland and Hanover; Cities of Richmond and Ashland Chesapeake ASAP: Counties of Accomack and Northampton; Cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk # offenders attended -2008 256 464 1200 5900 and Southeastern ASAP: Counties of Isle of Wright and Southampton; Cities of: Chesapeake, Franklin, Portsmouth, and Suffolk; Town of Smithfield Fairfax County ASAP: Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Towns of Vienna and Herndon John Tyler ASAP: Counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Henrico, Powhatan, Prince George, Surry and Sussex; Cities of Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, and Petersburg Office of Adult Services: Fauquier County Peninsula ASAP: Counties of Charles City, James City, and York and Cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg 195 520 273 373 If victims are not allowed to participate in the criminal justice system, and many are not because they did not witness the crime or were too injured to make credible witnesses, their sense of powerlessness can be enhanced. The most important determinant of anxiety and depression in family survivors of homicide victims is their satisfaction with treatment by the legal system. They can become disillusioned with the criminal justice system when they realize they are not needed or wanted in the criminal process. By serving on a Victim Impact Panel, MADD believes that victims: • find that telling their stories lightens their personal pain, which promotes their own healing process; • experience something positive from a previously devastating event; • believe that through telling their stories they may prevent some other family from suffering a similar victimization. Many panelists report that while it is emotionally draining for them to re-live the details of the tragedy, they are strengthened each time they retell their stories. Some have said that participating on a panel helped them move from depression about the past to hope about the present and the future, and to begin to take charge of their lives again. “At the end of our presentations, many offenders come up to shake our hands, apologize for what they did, or just hug us and cry. We have even had standing ovations - which I will never understand. Not everyone reacts that way, but most are affected. I know we are having a strong impact on these offenders. I believe our work will stop other mothers from losing their children. That alone makes it worthwhile.” Shirley Anderson, whose son Mark was killed by a impaired driver For more information about Victim Impact Panels, please visit: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/alcohol/VIP/VIP_app11.html. If you have been involved in a drunk driving crash, or lost a loved one in a drunk driving crash, and would like to volunteer to share your story, contact Cristi Cousins at MADD VA/DC 804-353-7121. Page 3 MADD Victim Services In 2008 MADD served 55,092 victims/ survivors, this is a 10% increase from 2007 • 53% are Bereaved • 30% are Injured • 9% are Bereaved and Injured MADD Victim Services If you or a loved one has been affected by a drunk driving crash, MADD is here to help. We have more than 1,400 trained victim advocates nationwide that provide bereaved families and injured victims with: • Emotional support • Resources to help cope with the complex legal, medical and financial ramifications of a crash • Assistance navigating the criminal and civil justice systems • We have wide selection of brochures for crash victims, available in English and Spanish, covering grief and healing, talking to children and teens about death, coping with serious injury, the criminal and civil court system and many more. We also offer MADDvocate magazine, which provides in depth articles, news, resources and other information specifically for drunk driving victims/survivors. Our services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MADD helps survivors survive. Here’s how you can start receiving support today: Call To be put in touch with a MADD Victim Advocate in your area or if you need to speak with someone immediately, call MADD’s Victim/Survivor Helpline at 1-877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435) E-mail Send us an e-mail at [email protected] and we will respond as soon as possible. MADD Victim Services Now reaching out to victims on Twitter. Sign up at: http://twitter.com/MADDServices New Ways to Support MADD Online The Food Lion Shop and Share Program. The Food Lion Shop and Share program is a great way to support local communities. It is easy to register your MVP card online and help MADD VA-DC support its mission. Just go to www.foodlion.com, and look for the LionShop & Share icon, located on the left side of the web page under “My Food Lion.” Register your MVP card at the top and be sure to choose the MADD Virginia/ District of Columbia office which is located in Richmond, VA as your organization to support. Every time you use your MVP card we’ll get a portion of your purchase!! It’s a quick and easy way to help! Online Giving at MADD.org. You can make a secure online gift using your credit card. Your generous gift will go a long way, enabling MADD to continue the fight against drunk driving and eventually to eliminate this wholly preventable violent crime. Page 4 The Pledge to Eliminate Drunk Driving Every year, nearly 13,000 people are killed by drunk drivers with an illegal alcohol level of .08 BAC or above. That means that every month more than 1,000 families must live with the tragic consequences of drunk driving. Since MADD was founded in 1980, alcohol-related fatalities have declined by more than 40 percent, but progress has stalled in recent years. That is why MADD launched a major offensive in the war against drunk driving, the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. Through the four elements below, the Campaign makes the idea of eliminating one of the United States primary health threats a real possibility. Together we can take the fight against drunk driving to a new and unprecedented level. Join the thousands of people nationwide who have signed the Pledge. By joining the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, I pledge full support of: • Increased DUI enforcement including twice-yearly crackdowns during major holidays and enforcement efforts such as sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols in all 50 states. • Use of alcohol ignition interlock technologies to reduce repeat offenses working towards mandatory ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers. • Exploration and development of advanced vehicle-based technology devices to detect if a driver has an illegal alcohol level and to prevent that driver from operating the vehicle. • Public support from you and other concerned citizens nationwide led by MADD, its affiliates and members. Sign the Pledge to eliminate Drunk Driving by visiting www.madd.org Specials Thanks to Our Supporters and Volunteers We’d like to thank the supporters and volunteers of our 2009 events WALK LIKE MADD and the MADD Poker Run: Haley Pontiac GMC University of Richmond WRIC-Ch.8, Cox Radio Allen, Allen, Allen and Allen Enterprise Rent a Car AAA Mid Atlantic Varina Barber Shop Southside Fuel BowTie Cinema’s Kings Dominion Back in Action Starbucks VA-Go Inc. of Richmond Fast Signs Goodwill Industries Qdoba Ukrops Bennett Willis Photography Wintergreen Heith’s Ice Cream Bennett Funeral Home Commonwealth Powersports Food Lion Volunteers Page 5 Checkpoint Strikeforce Kickoff Checkpoint Strikeforce is • An intensive law enforcement mobilization to get impaired drivers off our roads. • Stopping over 400,000 drivers last year at sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols in the multi-state area of Delaware, The District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. • Using checkpoints and patrols when and where drunk driving is most likely to occur. • Combining high visibility checkpoints and paid advertising to create awareness of enforcement and educate the public about dangers and consequences. Checkpoint Strikeforce is a research-based, multi-state, zerotolerance initiative designed to • get impaired drivers off our roads using checkpoints and patrols when and where drunk driving is most likely to occur and, • to educate the public about dangers and consequences of drunk driving. The premise behind this program is simple, there will be sobriety checkpoints, every week, every where - in each participating state so you never know when or where you may encounter one. The program began in 2002 as a sixmonth initiative but due to its success, was expanded to a year-round effort in 2005. The year-long program is comprised of six months of intense enforcement (At least 1 checkpoint per week from July through December) and six months sustained (At least 1 checkpoint per month from January through June). The checkpoints can be multi-agency, cross-jurisdictional, low-manpower, conducted in Virginia during happy hour, or any other innovative type. Every checkpoint should be highly publicized and visible and ideally supplemented with saturation patrols. For more information go to www. checkpointstrikeforce.net/ Carter Hill MADD VA/DC State Advisory Council Chair, joined the Virginia Attorney General, the Commissioner of DMV and State and local law enforcement officials at the Court Monitoring Dedicated MADD volunteers serve as Court Monitors in many jurisdictions in Virginia. Volunteers are trained in legal procedures to observe and note the outcomes of DUI/DWI court proceedings, including arraignments, pre-trial hearings, trials and sentencing cases. The Court Monitoring Program has three goals: To compile pertinent information on how DUI/DWI court cases are handled across the nation, to identify potential gaps in the prosecution and adjudication process, and to use collected data Page 6 to help improve the legal system. The program also focuses on forming strong strategic alliances with law enforcement, judges, prosecutors and the defense bar, including public defenders. The Court Monitoring program has expanded in the Tidewater area to include students from the Virginia Beach Campus of Tidewater Community College. Students in a class in the Administration of Justice tract are offered learning opportunities from the spectrum of DUI convictions in Virginia. They receive 4 credits for 80 hours of Court Monitoring and 5 hours of either riding along with the police or attending Victim Impact Panels held in cooperation with local Alcohol Safety Action Programs. Kaye Walsh, MADD VA State Vice-Chair and coordinator of the Court Monitoring program in Tidewater says the sutudens not only learn about the devastating consequences of DUI... they also tell their friends. MADD MADD Virginia and District of Columbia Office 5310 Markel Road., Suite 101 Richmond, VA 23230 Phone: (804) 353-7121 Toll Free: 1-800-533-MADD Fax: (804) 353-7122 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.maddva.org Join MADD today V i r g i n i a and make a difference tomorrow. Community Action Sites no membership fee Blue Ridge CAS (Amherst, Campbell Counties; Lynchburg City) Bristol CAS (Bristol City and Washington County) Central Virginia CAS (Albemarle, Augusta, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange counties; Charlottesville, Staunton, Waynesboro cities) State Office Staff Executive Director Chris R. Konschak Administrative & Technology Asst. M. “Abby” Amalbert Membership and Volunteer Application MADD is an organization of victims, survivors, and concerned citizens determined to reduce deaths and injuries resulting from driving under the influence. As a participant, you will be entitled to any and all of the services MADD has to offer including newsletters, magazines, and updates on current legislation and drunk driving information. Loudoun County CAS (Loudoun County) Program Specialist Cristi Cousins Peninsula CAS (York County and Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg cities) Development Officer Ashley D. Langford Clerical Office Assistants Barbara Dickerson Nancy Foster Affiliate Office Northern Virginia Chapter (Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William counties; Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park) P. O. Box 4248 Falls Church, VA 22044 Phone: (703) 379-1135 Fax: (703) 379-1930 E-mail: [email protected] MADD About Virginia is distributed free of charge to MADD members, donors, volunteers, and others interested in MADD’s mission. Richmond Area CAS (Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, Powhatan, Prince George counties; Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, Richmond cities) Shenandoah Valley CAS (Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Warren Counties, Front Royal and Winchester cities) Smith Mtn. Lake CAS (Bedford, Botetourt, Franklin, Montgomery, Roanoke counties) Southside CAS (Chesapeake, Norfolk, Porstmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach) For information about the above areas or for areas not covered by the above, please contact the State Office. MADD National 511 E. John Carpenter Fwy., Suite 700 Irving, TX 75062 Toll Free: 1-800-438-6233 Victim Services: 1-877-MADD-HELP Web site: www.madd.org Your Information Name_____________________________ ______________________________ Address___________________________ ______________________________ City______________________________ State_______Zip_____________ Home phone________________________ E-mail ____________________________ ______________________________ I am a victim/survivor of drunk driving I prefer not to receive MADD newsletters Make a contribution* _____$40______$75______$250 ______$1,000______Other __Check__Visa___MC__Discover__AMEX Card#:______________________________ _______________________________ Exp. Date_________________________ Signature:_________________________ *Financial contributions to MADD are tax deductible. Page 7 MADD Virginia State 5310 Markel Road., Suite 101 Richmond, VA 23230 Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Richmond, VA Permit #2358 MADD’s Mission To stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. Save the date Walk Like MADD Woodbridge - September 26, 2009 tidewater - April 2010 Richmond - may 2010 Bristol - June 2010 For more information please contact Ashley at 1-800-533-6233 w 804-353-7121 or register at www.walklikemadd.org
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