Advocacy Efforts
All year long, victims, survivors, and supporters spoke out. Through personal stories submitted during the federal comment period, Americans from every walk of life shared the devastating impact of impaired driving—and the urgent need for change. One of the most unforgettable moments was the Candlelight Vigil on the National Mall to mark the deadline in November 2024. With 10,000 candles lit—one for every life that could be saved each year—families, advocates, and lawmakers gathered to demand action. A DADSS (Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety) test vehicle stood against the backdrop of the Capitol, symbolizing the hope technology can bring. The event, covered widely by national media, sent a clear message: this lifesaving innovation must become reality, and it must happen now. What’s Next The delay in rulemaking is a setback—but not the end. MADD is committed to keeping up the pressure in 2025 and beyond to ensure this rule is finalized and implemented. Every day that passes without it means more preventable deaths and injuries on our roads.
To everyone who shared their story, stood with us, or helped spread the word: thank you. You are part of a growing movement that won’t stop until we end impaired driving for good. We also expanded and formalized the MADD Advocacy Network to help us reach our bold and achievable goal that anti-drunk driving technology will be built into every new car by 2030. With over 150,000 lives lost to alcohol-related crashes in the past 15 years, the time for action is now. We need everyone to make sure the law is followed and that any efforts to undo the law are defeated. Sign up to become part of a community that will end drunk driving for good at madd.org/advocate .
In 2024, MADD led a nationwide effort to push the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to take a historic step: require lifesaving impaired driving prevention technology in all new vehicles made possible through the most consequential advocacy effort in our organization’s history: the Honoring the Abbas Family Legacy to Terminate (HALT) Drunk Driving Law . This landmark federal law has the potential to save more than 10,000 lives annually
by requiring all new vehicles to be equipped with impaired driving prevention technology. But despite the law being passed by Congress in 2021—and thousands of voices demanding action—NHTSA missed its November 2024 deadline to finalize the rule making. While this delay is deeply disappointing, it only strengthens our resolve. We will not stop until this rule is fully implemented.
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MADD Fact: Every day, 34 people are killed in drunk driving crashes.
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