History Of DUI Laws Development

The Ascendancy of M.A.D.D. and other Political Action Groups.

A California woman named Candace (Candy) Lightner lost her 13-year old daughter, Cari, to a drunk driver in May of 1980. Cari was struck from behind and killed as she walked to a friend’s house.

Candy Lightner soon heard about Cindy Lamb, a Maryland mother who --- six months before --- had survived a devastating accident with a drunk driver who struck her vehicle head-on while traveling at 120 miles per hour. In the November 1979 crash, her five-month old daughter Laura Lamb was rendered a quadriplegic. Both of the drivers in these cases had atrocious driving histories, including prior DUI-DWI convictions.

The efforts of these two mothers led to a national movement of citizens — mostly mothers of victims — that eventually became known as M.A.D.D. M.A.D.D. was originally named “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers,” but the name was changed to focus on the conduct rather than the “person” behind the wheel. This group’s success has led to at least a dozen other groups being formed with similar public awareness or political influence agendas (R.I.D. , S.A.D.D., R.A.D.D., etc.)

M.A.D.D. has been able to dramatically influence tougher DUI-DWI legislation in every jurisdiction in America. Raising $50,000,000 each year has facilitated M.A.D.D.’s political activities. Lobbying efforts, letter-writing campaigns, picketing, fund-raising and similar activities have resulted in M.A.D.D. becoming one of the best-known and most widely funded non-profit groups in America. In the last 20 years, approximately 2500 legislative bills or laws have been submitted to legislators across America as a result of their movement. This source of pressure to increase punishment for all DUI-DWI offenders is the leading cause of the major changes in drunken driving legislation in America over the past twenty years.

Although M.A.D.D. denies being on a mission to re-institute Prohibition, many critics believe that this powerful group intends exactly for that to ultimately happen. As recently as October, 2005, MADD was calling for the “per se” limit to be lowered to 0.05% on a national basis and in Canada. Other politically motivated groups [such as the Mobil Eyes Foundation - which has Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) non-profit tax status] have started offering “bounties” ($50) for calling the “911” operator and reporting people who the caller believes are driving drunk, if such information leads to a DUI-DWI conviction.

Source: The DUI Book by William C. Head, Atlanta, GA
Senior Partner of Head, Thomas, Webb & Willis, LLC, based in Atlanta, GA www.theduibook.com