...successfully influence policy? Political influence backed by influential leaders with the financial capital is how “grassroots” organization are so successful, in influencing policies. An organization is a group of people who have the same views on an issue or policy. Any time someone sees something wrong with our society they grab themselves a group of peoples and form an organization. Then they will go to the government and demand something be done to rectify the injustice, inequity and from there the government make laws to do so. To what degree do you think MADD has changed over its history from a grassroots organization to a more institutional stakeholder? “MADD went from nothing to a major group and everyone across the world knows about it and participates.” (Theodolou, 2012). This all started when a brokenhearted mother made a pledge to her deceased daughter. She was incensed and outraged and decided to form MADD to bring attention to the growing problem and to make stiffer penalties for drivers driving while under the influence. As a result, drunk driving was put on top of the political agenda, and laws against drunk drivers were set nationwide. No longer were the police, judges, and prosecutors allowed to be lenient on drunk driving offenders. Because there are still problems with drunk drivers the laws are getting stiffer. Isn’t it ironic that the same lady that brought these laws into play turned around and broke the very same law herself? How does this change what...
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...MADD, Impact on Social Policy Jacqueline Boyd BSHS 355 February 12, 2014 Pam Harris MADD, Impact on Social Policy The impact MADD has had on social policy is history breaking. Mother Against Drunk Driving has changed the laws regarding drinking and driving throughout the United States. MADD changed the legal age for drinking and purchasing alcohol. MADD has made the laws stricter; including more fines and punishment for breaking the laws. MADD has become one of the nation’s largest agencies to help improve assistance for families that have lost loved ones to drunk drivers. The organization has made historical changes in laws and legislature. MADD, Impact on Social Policy Mothers Against Drunk Drivers has made a significant impact on our society today by bringing changes in our drinking and driving laws. MADD, more commonly referred to, has implemented a change in drinking age and mandated strict laws for people who break these laws. From a simple outcry by the founder of MADD, this organization has grown to service millions. MADD was originally founded by Candy Lightner in 1980 after her 13 year old daughter, Cari was struck from behind and killed by a drunk driver. The driver had three previous drunk driving violations and had been involved in a hit-and-run accident and arrest two days before the incident involving Cari. One of the most effective leaders was Rebecca (Beckie) Brown from New Port, Florida. Rebecca became involved in MADD after her son Marcus...
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...MADD: Mothers Against Drunk Driving The Texas interest group MADD, which stands for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, is helping stop driving drunk and underage drinking. This interest group has been around since September 5, 1980. MADD is the nation’s largest nonprofit interest group. They support the victims and survivors of drunk and drugged driving situations at no charge. The Chief Executive Officer is Debbie Weir and the MADD National President is Jan Withers. The mission statement for MADD is “The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.” (“Mothers Against Drunk Driving”). Their short term goals is to get parents to start making sure their children understand the scary things that can happen while drunk and driving, stopping the underage drinkers. They also started the whole PASS thing Person Appointed To Stay Sober, to try and get more people to be more aware of what they are doing. The long term goals for MADD is the support they give their goal is to give so much support to the victims of the crime that the people causing it will come around and maybe even join the group. To this day MADD has saved 300,000 lives and counting. MADD represents all the mothers in the world, the victims of drunk driving and anyone who has been lost because of it. They are trying to influence the mothers that are not on board and the teen s that are susceptible to drinking underage and...
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... BSHS 355 September 23, 2014 Social Policy Decisions In this paper, the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) will be discussed. The writer will go over how and why MADD was created, the problems that lead to the creation of the organization, how it influenced policies and the problems experienced while implementing the policies. The effects of these social policies on Human Services delivery will also be addressed. This paper will take the reader through the history and positive outcomes of MADD. Mothers against Drunk Driving started as a grass roots citizen activist group and were founded in 1980 (Learn More, n.d.). The founder of MADD, Candice Lightner, created this organization after a drunken hit-and-run driver killed her 13-year-old daughter, Cari, at Sunset and New York Avenues in Fair Oaks, California (Friedrich, 1985). Lightner banded with other mothers who proposed in their hearts to make a stand against factors causing the tragedies associated with alcohol. The overall mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to: stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking (MADD). MADD is very big on educating the public on the dangers and results of drunk driving. They are also huge on advocacy and providing assistance to victims and their loved ones. In the early 1980s, MADD got the attention of New Jersey Senator Frank R. Lautenberg. Senator Lautenberg did not like the fact that youth in New Jersey would...
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...Social Policy Decisions Paper BSHS 355 Social Policy Decisions Paper Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and pushes for stricter alcohol policies. MADD was founded in 1980 in California by Candice Lightner after her 13-year-old daughter, Cari, was killed by a drunk driver. This paper will discuss the following; why MADD was created; the problem that led to the creation of MADD; how the problem was identified as a social problem; policies created as a result of MADD’s influence; problems experienced while implementing the policies; the effects of these social policies on human services delivery. On May 3, 1980 Lightner’s daughter, Cari, was killed by a drunken hit-and –run driver at Sunset and New York Avenues in Fair Oaks, California (Wikipedia, n.d.). The 46-year-old driver, who had recently been arrested for another DUI hit-and-run, left her body at the scene. Candace later created MADD in her home to support others and to stop drunk driving on May 7, 1980. She discovered that the guy who killed her daughter would most likely not receive any punishments for his crime and justice for her daughter would not be served. She realized that this same tragedy happens to many families that have been hurt the same way she was. Candace stated ” I promised myself on the day of Cari's death that I would fight to make this needless...
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... alcohol consumers, legislation, and victims of alcohol related deaths. There have been many deaths caused by alcohol impaired individuals that could have been prevented, if there was certain legislation in place at particular times in history. Even though there are still a staggering number of fatalities caused as a result of alcohol and impaired driving, the numbers have decreased exponentially since its awareness has been made public and stricter legislation has been enacted. The activist group or movement organization that I decided to discuss on is the widely known and respected MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) organization. The organization’s purpose and aim is 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 (MADD, 2010). This organization has been around for 30 years and its founder, Candy Lightner, is a victim of repeated occurrences with impaired drivers. On May 3, 1980 Cari, Lightner’s 13 year old daughter, was walking down the street in a quiet suburb of California when she was hit from behind by a man named Clarence Bush. Cari was hit so hard that she was thrown over 100 feet and which the impact from both the car and the ground ended her life. Reports indicated from the Fair Oaks Police Department say she was mangled almost beyond recognition. This was not the first altercation with an out-of-control...
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...May 3, 1980, a 46-year-old drunk driver fatally killed 13-year-old Cari Lightner in a hit-and-run drunk driving accident. The fatal accident that leads to the death of Cari Lightner was a result of drunk driving that causes her mother, Candace (Candy) Lightner’s organization of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was established on September 5, 1980, four months after 13-year-old Cari’s tragic death. The platform was created by Mothers Against Drunk Driving as a way of bringing public awareness of the results of driving while intoxicated and under the influence of drugs. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) also provided support to families and victims of drunk driving. Through the organization, a small group of women who went around the nation providing information and facts about driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. What initially started out as a small group of women quickly caught the attention of the United States Congress. MADD is still active today and has hundreds of chapters across the United States. Social Policies of MADD The overall predicament that led to the establishment of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was due to the individuals who were driving while under the influence of alcohol. Individuals were driving while under the influence of alcohol since the end of prohibition. Evidence provided a link to drinking alcohol and impaired driving. It was a challenge to prove that the accidents were caused as a result...
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...make friends and these influence the age at which the child can start to experiment with alcohol. Raising or lowering the legal drinking age is bound to raise major concerns. This will be a major concern for parents whose children are directly affected by the issue. Likewise, adolescents and youth are bound to get affected thus they are likely to engage in this debate too (Vingilis and Smart 415). Raising the legal drinking age lowers death rate. According to Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Congress members who met to mark the 20th anniversary of passing of a federal law that rose the minimum legal drinking age to 21, about 20,000 lives were saved through the passing of the law (MADD). The law signed in July 17, 1984 by the then President Reagan set the minimum drinking age as 21. An estimate by MADD approximates that underage drinking kills 6,000 people every year through traffic crashes and other alcohol related deaths such as homicides (MADD). Through this, is open that MADD is for the raising of the legal drinking age. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), raising the age at which people are allowed to legally buy and have alcohol is the most appropriate way of curbing alcohol related accidents in people below the age of 21...
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...age was under 21, would allow those Marines to consume alcohol. It is also up to the commanders’ discretion to approve beer being served on special occasions such as returning from war. These Marines would only be allowed to drink on base though. These young people are being asked to make enormous sacrifices, said John McCardell, the former president of Middlebury College in Vermont who runs Choose Responsibility, an organization that wants the drinking age lowered. Yet, when underage Marines come home, they face arrest and can jeopardize their fledging military careers if they illegally buy a six-pack. (McCardell, 2007) There is however certain people that have some reservations about younger Marines consuming alcohol. Groups like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and older Marines. Although...
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...brush with drunk driving tragedy for the Dawson’s. Matt was actually the second of three cousins in his family killed in drunk driving crashes: •Tim Dawson – killed in 1976 in Mississippi •Matt Dawson – killed in 1999 in Virginia •Stephanie Ward Stahl – killed in 2012 in West Virginia Laura says that her family’s experience with so much devastation because of drunk driving has made the family closer, “but shows that no family is immune.” In Matt’s case, the driver, whose BAC was .212, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to six months in jail. After the trial, Laura began volunteering for MADD and later became a certified victim advocate so she could provide assistance and support for other families impacted by drunk driving. She also served as leader of her local MADD chapter in Virginia. She continues to shares Matt’s story at MADD victim impact panels, and school and community...
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...According to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) foundation, one person is killed every half-hour due to drunk driving. Each year, approximately 16,000 are killed in alcohol related crashes. In addition, 2 of every 3 drunk driver became drunk at a bar. Restriction on drunk customers leaving a bar is needed because too many fatalities are caused by drunk driving and too many drunk drivers are coming from bars. Even though the costs may be prohibitive, the city of Columbus should enact legislation making it mandatory for bar owners to place security at their doors to check anyone who wants to leave, determining if the customer is above the limit or not. If above the limit, security must call a taxi or über who will safely deliver the customer home. Many benefits come from this, such as job creation, which betters our economy, and the saving of lives, which increases public safety. Increased foot patrol, especially on Friday and Saturday nights with police officers checking sobriety can contribute greatly to the reduction of drunk drivers. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before their first arrest. With this...
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...County prison is considered a luxury compared to state prison. It sends chills down my spine knowing he has the power to get our hopes up only to get let down after every court appearance only to hear “Im not ready”. Finally after a year and a half we heard the words we've been dying to hear, “Im ready”. Now a week before our second Christmas without Eric his killer will be officially arrested and proven guilty. Drinking and driving laws started off in 1910 the state of New York who was the first to have laws against drunk driving, thats 106 years ago. Within that 106 years in 1980 Candy Lightner after her 13 year old daughter was killed on her way home from a school carnival by a drunk driver started a group called “MADD”. MADD stands for...
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...Automobiles have been a huge part of American society for roughly a century. Unfortunately, many people believe that driving while under the influence of alcohol is a rather safe idea. In fact, in a 2013 study, 28.7 million people admitted to driving under the influence (MADD). This can be closely related to the fact that people do not fear being caught for driving under the influence. In order to stop this, it is up to state and federal legislature to address the problem of drunk driving by imposing stricter laws similar to those of other countries who have far better success. There are many names for driving under the influence. These include driving while intoxicated, drunk driving or impaired driving (The Real Consequences). However,...
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...while driving “accidents” are not merely “accidents.” Getting in a vehicle after consuming alcohol, which severely affects the function of the brain, is not an accident. It is lack of responsibility. Individuals that consume alcohol irresponsibly must begin to take responsibility for themselves and for other innocent drivers on the road. Unfortunately, in spite of great progress, alcohol-impaired driving remains a serious national problem that tragically affects many victims annually. An organization named MADD was created after the daughter of a lady was killed because of an intoxicated driver, he got jail time and suspended license, and however he got released from jail 2 years after he was locked up in jail. There are many organizations that have been formed now to fight these terrible acts and hope to punish the ones who deserve to stay in jail. MADD has reported that “Texas leads the nation in drunk driving deaths with 1,213 people fatalities in 2011. “Internal MADD tracking data, 2002-2012.) High school students who use alcohol or other substances are five times more likely to drop out of school. (NIDA, 2008) Full cite: National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Volume 1: Secondary School Students", National Survey Results on Drug Use...
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...For as long as cars have been around drinking and driving has been a danger. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) MADD was established in 1980 and helped to shine light on this issue. Since this time there has been many improvements and lives spared with the efforts of this group. However, looking at statistics today and seeing that accidents involving impaired drivers accounted for 31% of all traffic deaths in 2012, it’s obvious that there is still more work to be done. Countless lives are lost to the senseless act of getting behind the wheel drunk. Many families have been torn apart. Although we have made strides such as reducing the legal limit for blood alcohol from .10 to .08 and implementing sobriety checkpoints; a permanent solution needs to be found. Some may believe our drunken driving laws are strict enough, but it is obvious they are not because every year there’s around 9,878 deaths and 350,000 injuries as a result. Drunk drivers not only risk hurting themselves and others while behind the wheel, but they can also face consequences that last for years. The penalties increase with each DWI conviction in North Carolina. MADD says that “out of every person arrested or convicted for drunk driving, about a third of them are repeat offenders.” Surprisingly, 50 to 75 percent of them are also driving on suspended licenses. These decisions can lead to charges that can have lifelong repercussions. Drunken driving laws exist not only to protect people, but to prevent drivers from...
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