Tie One On For Safety Red Ribbon Campaign Kicks Off with Pizza Fundraiser

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Lane County and Papa’s Pizza are joining forces on December 1st to kick off the 2010 holiday crackdown on drunk driving with a message of deterrence for drivers across Lane County.
MADD of Lane County has been hit hard locally from the economic downturn. The local office closed in October 2009 and last of staff was laid-off. Volunteers are endeavoring to carry on MADD projects in student & public education, address underage drinking, and assist victims. Papa's Pizza has been providing fundraising opportunities for organizations for nearly 40 years and has given two dates this December for a MADD fundraiser and a location to get Tie One On for Safety red ribbons. The goal is to continue to provide the life saving message regarding sober driving education and support victims of drunk driving. Fifty percent of food sales go toward the local MADD efforts. Flyers are required and are available at Papa’s Pizza links: Coburg Rd. Springfield and West 11th Ave.

MADD urges individuals to Give the Gift of a Designated Driver ™ to their friends and family this holiday season and also Tie One On For Safety®, displaying a red ribbon on their cars in support of law enforcement holiday crackdown efforts and as a pledge to drive safe and sober.

During the time of year when drunk driving crashes are most prevalent, MADD is partnering with Papa’s Pizza and local law enforcement to deter individuals from driving drunk and encourage them to plan ahead to designate a sober driver, or arrange another safe ride home, before embarking on their holiday festivities. MADD Red Ribbons will also be available at local area Bi-Mart Stores and Les Schwab Tire Centers in Lane County throughout the holiday season.

When: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 11 a.m. to Midnight at Coburg Rd and Springfield Papa’s Pizza.


Tuesday, December 7, 2010 11 a.m. to Midnight at W. 11th Ave Papas Pizza in Eugene.

Where: Kick-off December 1st at Papa’s Pizza 1575 Coburg Rd. Eugene OR 97401. MADD volunteers available at 5:30 p.m. at the Coburg Rd location.

Who: Attending the event will be:
· MADD volunteers and victims of drunk driving
· Local law enforcement
· Area supporters

Why: Nationally in 2009, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, 879 people were killed by drunk drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. A total of 10,839 drunk driving fatalities occurred last year, and almost every minute, one person is injured from an alcohol-related crash.

In 2009, 178 people were killed in Oregon in crashes with driver alcohol involvement. The five week law enforcement
Holiday crackdown in Oregon runs from November 29, 2010 to January 3, 2011.

2010 Oregon DUII Penalty Guidelines

Oregon DUII penalties First offense: Drivers who don't hurt anyone are eligible for a diversion program. In exchange for a guilty plea and a promise to go to treatment and listen to a victims panel, DUII drivers can have their cases dismissed after one year. Blowing a 0.08 percent or above comes with a 90-day license suspension.

Second offense: Two to 365 days in jail. $1,000 minimum fine. ($2,000 minimum for those who blow a 0.15 or above). One-year license revocation. Must install an ignition interlock device for one year.

Third offense: Two to 365 days in jail. $1,500 minimum fine. ($2,000 minimum for those who blow a 0.15 or above). Three-year license revocation. Must install an ignition interlock device for two years.

Fourth offense: Two to 365 days in jail. $2,000 minimum fine. Lifetime license revocation.

Fifth offense: May be a felony and comes with more than a year of prison time. $2,000 minimum fine.

Register Guard Article: Police crack down on drunken driving

The national effort combines a publicity campaign, increased patrols and high-visibility

By Jack Moran
The Register-Guard
Appeared in print: Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009

’Tis the season for celebration. But every year around now, plenty of people drink at holiday parties, then get behind the wheel when they probably shouldn’t.

GO READ THE ARTICLE: http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/24261599-41/oregon-police-state-drivers-intoxicated.csp

MADD ADJUSTS TO ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

This past October, the national MADD organization eliminated Executive Directors Lois Harvick’s position in Eugene and closed the office. The Eugene MADD office was the last to be shuttered in the Pacific Northwest region. “We are not ready to give up, nor go away, but are going back to grass-roots all volunteer effort,” stated Barbara Stoeffler, founder of the local organization.

Across the United States, the downturn in the economy has adversely affected donations from sponsors, businesses and individuals. On a national scale, MADD has made sweeping cuts, eliminating the Portland and Seattle offices and 55 of 397 paid employees nationwide, or about 14 percent of its work force.

The elimination of the local MADD office, Harvick said, should be seen as a “call to action” for the community. Twenty-seven years ago, volunteers launched MADD of Lane County as a grass-roots organization, raising awareness via prevention education, county campaigns and projects, plus strengthening DUII laws. Through the years, it has grown in size, finally overseeing the south half of Oregon, coast to border.

Even though we are back to an all-volunteer organization, MADD Eugene is going roll up our sleeves and get to work. Meetings will be called to set goals and strategize our future –check our website calendar for time and place. Our priority is to serve victims, encourage DUII campaigns, and discourage underage drinking.

Our Goal – to maintain MADD programs and to open a local MADD office in 2010 and hire office staff. We need your help: We are calling all supporters to volunteer. You can volunteer from home, in a courtroom, as a trained victim advocate, with a victim/survivor – it all depends on your interests and schedule. We’ll be grateful for any amount of volunteering you can devote to MADD.

It is easy to contact us or come to a meeting: e-mail Eugene.pacificnw@madd.org or phone 541-343-8115. A volunteer will get back to you.

ECOMONY FORCES MADD DOWNSIZING MEASURES

NATIONAL OFFICE ELIMINATES EUGENE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

In mid-October, the MADD National office was forced to eliminate Executive Director Lois Harvick’s position and close the local office, making Oregon one of 15 states with all volunteer-driven MADD efforts. Because of decreases in corporate and individual donations on a national scale, the organization has made sweeping cuts, eliminating the Portland and Seattle MADD offices earlier this year. Since January, MADD had eliminated 55 of 397 paid employees nationwide, or about 14 percent of its work force.

Determined to carry on the work dedicated to ending drunk driving, Eugene Affiliate office volunteers have held two meetings since October 28th to regroup back to a grass-roots all-volunteer organization – that is how it began 27 years ago.

Volunteer efforts will continue to focus on victim assistance and public education projects. November Red Ribbons will go out to a few businesses and be available in the old office location at 1310 Coburg Road Suite #10. December 7th the annual Candlelight Vigil will be held at the MADD Memorial Garden in Alton Baker Park, Eugene. Starting time is 6:30 pm in the garden, with a reception following in the Boy Scout building on Martin Luther King Blvd.

The public is urged to have patience as reorganization takes place. Currently, contacting the Eugene office by e-mail or telephone requires leaving a message. Volunteers will be on duty to return those contacts.

MADD About You! Friends and Family Gathering and Silent Auction

The MADD About You! - Friends and Family Gathering will include an ice cream social and classic car show, pedi cab rides, a barbershop quartet will also perform and live music will provided by homegrown talent, The Tracey’s. There will also be fabulous, locally supplied, items to bid on! All proceeds go to support MADD Victim Services provided at no cost to victims of drunk driving crashes. For more information please call 541-343-8115.

MADD Oregon Joins Launch of Statewide Labor Day Crackdown

Mothers Against Drunk Driving volunteers of the Eugene and Portland Affiliate offices joined the Oregon Governor’s Advisory Committee on DUII, in conjunction with the Oregon State Police, Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police, Oregon State Sheriff’s Association and the Oregon Department of Transportation, for crackdown kickoff efforts that began August 21 as part of the National Drunk Driving- Over the Limit. Under Arrest. campaign, which runs through Labor Day. To kick off the state’s participation, traffic safety partners held an alcohol impairment awareness demonstration Tuesday, August 18 at the Portland Police Bureau’s Southeast Precinct. The goal: raise awareness about the importance of driving sober so we can save lives.

Driving under the influence is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In Oregon last year, 136 people lost their lives in alcohol-impaired crashes, according to ODOT’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Over the 2008 Labor Day weekend alone, nine people died in crashes involving alcohol or drugs. Nationwide in 2008, nearly 12,000 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

Selected community volunteers consumed various amounts of alcohol and were tested by police officers to demonstrate the intoxicating effects of alcohol and how these effects relate to driving. The field sobriety tests demonstrated included the horizontal gaze nystagmus eye test, the walk and turn test, and the one-leg stand test. There was also a demonstration of the effectiveness of the ignition interlock devise, which did not allow the car to start when the impaired participants attempted to blow into the devise.

According to FARS, the Labor Day holiday period is historically the second deadliest on Oregon roads of all the holiday periods throughout the year. Last year’s deadly crashes in Oregon
occurred on roadways in nearly every corner of the state including Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, Coos, Grant, Harney and Yamhill counties. Lane County Sheriff Russ Burger, who was also in attendance, shared with MADD that Lane County currently holds half of the statewide totals to date, of all fatal traffic crashes and of those, half are caused by impaired driving. Statewide, alcohol impaired crashes account for about 34% off all fatal traffic crashes.


“Make no mistake. Our message is simple and to the point. No matter what you drive — a passenger car, pickup, sport utility vehicle or motorcycle — if you get caught driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you will be arrested,” said Chuck Hayes, chair of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on DUII and retired director of the Oregon State Police Patrol Services Division. “Driving under the influence is just not acceptable.” Last year during the Labor Day holiday period, August 29 – September 1, Oregon State Police troopers reported 87 DUII arrests. This was an increase from the 2007 and 2006 Labor Day holiday weekends when OSP troopers arrested 78 intoxicated drivers each year.

MADD Community Action Sites in Douglas and Clackamas Counties will also be supporting Labor Day Crackdown efforts in their communities over the holiday weekend. MADD supports high visibility enforcement as part of it’s Campaign To Eliminate Drunk Driving.