Waymo's Autonomously Driven Vehicles Display Red Ribbons to Celebrate 36 Years of the Designated Driver and Remind Everyone to Never Drink and Drive
DALLAS, Nov. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Waymo kicked off the 36th Annual Tie One On for Safety Holiday Campaign at Waymo's Lancaster depot where they will showcase their fleet of autonomous vehicles displaying red ribbons as a reminder to always designate a non-drinking driver.
Tie One On for Safety is MADD's longest-running designated driver campaign. Launched in 1986, "tie one on" is a throwback to the days when people would use the term as slang for consuming alcohol. For the past 36 years, MADD has used the phrase to demonstrate how everyone can tie a red ribbon – or more recently place red ribbon magnets or decals – on their car as a reminder to always designate a non-drinking driver. That message is especially important when holiday travel, parties, and family gatherings put more people on the roads.
"As we enter the holiday season marked by celebrations with friends and family, it is important that we prioritize making a plan to arrive safely at our destinations," said MADD National President Alex Otte. "Whether you're going out or hosting friends and family at home, planning for a non-drinking driver or confirming your guests have one is the most important decision you can make."
"For the last five years, Waymo and MADD have worked together to encourage people to get home safely by designating a driver," said Mauricio Peña, Waymo's chief safety officer. "At Waymo, we proudly display MADD's red ribbons on our entire fleet -- from our all-electric Jaguar I-PACEs in California to our Class 8 trucks in Texas — and we look forward to offering a safe mode of transportation to our Waymo One riders in Phoenix and San Francisco this holiday season."
The holidays are traditionally more dangerous compared to other times of the year on America's roads, and recent traffic fatality estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show fatalities reached a record high at the beginning of 2022. An estimated 9,560 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the first quarter of 2022, which is the largest number of projected traffic fatalities in that time frame since 2002.
"We know the past two years have been like no other, and we hope everyone will do their part to stop this public safety crisis," Otte said. "It will take everyone to stop these tragedies, and we are so grateful to Waymo for their partnership and for sharing our vision of zero deaths and zero injuries caused by drunk and drug-impaired driving."
To learn more about Tie One On for Safety and for safe party tips, visit madd.org/toofs [madd.org/toofs __title__ madd.org/toofs].
About Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation's largest nonprofit working to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. MADD has helped to save more than 400,000 lives, reduce drunk driving deaths by more than 50 percent and promote designating a non-drinking driver. MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® calls for law enforcement support, ignition interlocks for all offenders and advanced vehicle technology. MADD has provided supportive services to nearly one million drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge through local victim advocates and the 24-Hour Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP. Visit http://www.madd.org or call 1-877-ASK-MADD.
About Waymo
Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they're going. Since our start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has been focused on building, deploying, and commercializing The World's Most Experienced Driver™ technology to improve the world's access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo One™, the world's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service, as well as Waymo Via™, our trucking and local delivery service. To date, Waymo has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions of miles in simulation, across 13+ U.S. states. For more: http://www.waymo.com.
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Media Contact
Jennifer Dunn, MADD, 9176743128, [email protected]
SOURCE MADD
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