Advocacy
03
Advocacy
VOCA Fix
Legislative Hero Awards
MADD National President Alex Otte attended the VOCA Fix bill signing at the White House on July 22, 2021. The VOCA Fix will help continue essential funding and lifesaving services for victims of crime. MADD depends on these funds to serve victims of drunk and drugged driving 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MADD’s victim services specialists provide crisis intervention, emotional support, court accompaniment and education around the legal, financial and physical impacts of these crimes, which remain the number one cause of highway deaths. Additionally, MADD provides peer support groups and connections, referrals and assistance with resources for continued needs.
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell was presented MADD’s “Legislative Hero” award for her commitment to saving more than 9,400 lives a year by advancing automotive safety technology. Dingell led the push in Congress to pass the bipartisan Honoring the Abbas Family Legacy to Terminate Drunk Driving (HALT) Act, which will ultimately require lifesaving drunk driving prevention technology as standard equipment in all new cars. Other Honorees include: Senator Ben Ray Luján (NM), Senator Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Senator Gary Peters (MI), and Senator Chuck Schumer (NY). “ ... Honoring the Abbas Family Legacy to Terminate Drunk Driving (HALT) Act, which will ultimately require lifesaving drunk driving prevention technology as standard equipment in all new cars.”
“This new law will virtually eliminate deaths and injuries caused by drunk driving. Never in the history of MADD have we been able to say that, and many of us never thought we would see the end in our lifetime, but now we do. I’m crying tears of joy today for all of the victims and survivors who have worked so hard to make this happen for such a long, long time. This is the beginning of the end of drunk driving.” • Alex Otte, MADD National President
Infrastructure Bill signing
On November 15, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law as one of the most significant pieces of legislation in MADD’s history in terms of lives that will be saved and injuries that will be prevented. The “Advanced Impaired Driving Technology” section initiates a rulemaking by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to set the new safety standard. When fully implemented on all new cars, more than 9,400 lives could be saved annually, according to a 2020 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
08
09
Annual Report • 2021
Mothers Against Drunk Driving ®
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software