MADD Thanks NHTSA Administrator David Strickland for his Leadership

News provided by

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Dec 13, 2013, 11:00 ET

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) December 13, 2013 -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) profoundly thanks David Strickland, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, for his exemplary service to the country, for his leadership within the highway safety community, and for his tireless commitment to saving lives and preventing injuries on our nation’s roads.

Administrator Strickland served as honorary chairman of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® and helped continue to emphasize drunk driving as a national priority. “Like MADD, David shares a vision for the elimination of drunk driving in America,” said MADD National President Jan Withers. “His leadership in highway safety may well prove historic.”

Strickland recently announced the Seamless and Significant Initiative, which calls for new vehicle-based technologies to save lives. Included in this initiative is the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, or DADSS, program which seeks to develop in-vehicle technology that could passively and unobtrusively determine if a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level is at or above .08 — the illegal level in all 50 states. If the driver is at or above a .08 BAC, the car would be rendered inoperable.

Strickland often referred to the DADSS program as this generation’s “moon shot” and has been instrumental in advancing this public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety. As part of the last highway reauthorization bill, the Congress fully authorized the DADSS program as well as the other components of MADD’s Campaign, including an ignition interlock incentive grant program and continuation of the annual drunk driving crackdowns known as Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

In addition to his work at NHTSA, David was also named a MADD Congressional Staffer of the Year for his work in Congress to help stop drunk driving.

“We will certainly miss David and wish him our best in his future endeavors,” said Withers. “He is a longtime friend to MADD, and we appreciate his great service to our mutual cause.”

About Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. With the help of those who want a safer future, MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® will end this danger on America’s roads. PowerTalk 21® is the national day for parents to talk with their kids about alcohol, using the proven strategies of Power of Parents® to reduce the risk of underage drinking. And as one of the largest victim services organizations in the U.S., MADD also supports drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge, serving one person every 8.6 minutes through local MADD victim advocates and at 1-877-MADD-HELP. Learn more at http://www.madd.org or by calling 1-877-ASK-MADD.

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Carol Ronis, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, http://www.madd.org, +1 (202) 600-2032, [email protected]