MADD Supports National Crackdown on Drunk Driving this Labor Day Weekend

-- In 2010, 147 people nationwide died in drunk driving crashes over the holiday weekend --

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is supporting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)'s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown this Labor Day weekend, in an effort to prevent the devastating deaths and injuries caused by drunk driving. Over Labor Day weekend in 2010, 147 people in the U.S. were killed as a result of drunk driving, representing 36 percent of all highway fatalities.

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"Law enforcement, coupled with a highly-publicized awareness campaign, is crucial to getting drunk drivers off our roadways over Labor Day weekend and throughout the year," said MADD National President Jan Withers. "We are proud to support the national crackdown, especially since law enforcement efforts like sobriety checkpoints are proven to reduce drunk driving deaths by 20 percent."

A critical component of MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving^® is support for high-visibility law enforcement efforts to catch drunk drivers and discourage others from driving drunk. The recently signed federal transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century (MAP-21), fully endorsed MADD's Campaign, in part by providing $29 million per year for a minimum of three annual high-visibility enforcement crackdowns.

As families across the country make plans for Labor Day weekend, MADD urges them to also plan ahead for a safe way home if alcohol will be a part of their festivities. "Together with law enforcement, we can put an end to the 100 percent preventable deaths and injuries caused by drunk driving," added Withers.

For more information about MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, visit www.madd.org/campaign.

About Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving^® (MADD) is the nation's largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. With the help of those who want a safer future, MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving^® will end this danger on America's roads. PowerTalk 21^® is the national day for parents to talk with their kids about alcohol, using the proven strategies of Power of Parents^™ to reduce the risk of underage drinking. And as one of the largest victim services organizations in the U.S., MADD also supports drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge, serving one person every eight minutes through local MADD victim advocates and at 1-877-MADD-HELP.  Learn more at www.madd.org or by calling 1-877-ASK-MADD.

SOURCE Mothers Against Drunk Driving