Day 142: National Youth Traffic Safety Month

NOTE: For some reason BLOGGER removed yesterday's post, and wouldn't allow me to post anything this morning. So here is yesterday's post:

Each May, youth across the country unite during National Youth Traffic Safety Month to focus on the leading cause of death for them and their peers; traffic related crashes.  National Youth Traffic Safety Month empowers youth to develop and lead traffic safety education projects and support law enforcement and effect legislation to protect teen drivers. 

As the school year winds down, young people across America are looking forward to the summer.  But as teens prepare for proms, graduations, vacations, and road trips, it's important to keep safety in mind.

The sad fact is, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America.  And new analysis from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) reveals that the deadliest days of the year for teens aged 15 to 19 are in the summer months of May, June, July, and August.  During these four months, nearly twice as many teens died on the roads each day when compared to the rest of the year. These are sobering statistics.  And they serve as a critical reminder to young people: safe driving doesn't take the summer off.  That's why National Youth Traffic Safety Month is so important.

MADD was incorporated on September 5, 1980. The mission or purposes of MADD as stated in its Articles of Incorporation were “To aid the victims of crimes performed by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to aid the families of such victims and to increase public awareness of the problem of drinking and drugged driving."

 

In 1984, MADD changed its name from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. This carefully considered change was made because MADD is opposed to the criminal act of drunk driving, not individuals. MADD also updated its mission statement to “Mothers Against Drunk Driving provides grassroots leadership to create major social change in the attitude and behavior of Americans toward drunk driving."

In 1985, MADD’s mission statement was again updated. The mission read, “Mothers Against Drunk Driving mobilizes victims and their allies to establish the public conviction that impaired driving is unacceptable and criminal, in order to promote corresponding public policies, programs and personal responsibility."

In 1992, MADD adopted a more simplified mission statement, which was “The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to stop drunk driving and support the victims of this violent crime.

By 1999, MADD had greatly expanded its work on preventing underage drinking and emerging research underscored our efforts to prevent youth alcohol use.

Donation #5

To support MADD, please visit:  http://www.madd.org/