Impaired Driving Crashes in the News

11-20-22 Robert Ashley Moore, 49, Henrico County

11-21-22 Francisco Loya, 36, Albemarle

11-24-22 Ezekiel Bartel, 35, Floyd County

11-26-22  Dwain Edward Gillespie, 53, Rockingham County

11-28-22 Carter Watrous, 41, Virginia Beach

12-03-22 Melissa Cress, 32, Prince Edward County

12-03-22 Nicholas Boardman, 29 Roanoke

12-5-22 Stanley Norris, 69, Augusta

Teen Dies in Arlington Crash

Man Arrested for Drunk Driving After Crash

Virginia Truck Driver Found Drunk in NC Crash

Seven People Taken to hospital After Drunk Driving Crash

MADD was honored to have a presence at the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services’ 2022 Strengthening Connections Conference this past winter. With our partners at the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (Virginia ABC), we were able to spread the message about our Power of Parents program.

Power of Parents is a program that empowers parents to have ongoing, intentional conversations with their middle and high schoolers about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking and other drug use.

“Virginia ABC is thrilled to partner with MADD on the Power of Parents. We know that together we can have a real impact on promoting the meaningful conversations that parents have with their teens about the dangers of underage drinking,” said Wyatt Anderson of the Virginia ABC.

See MADD’s 2022 Parent & Teen Perception Survey to learn more key findings about how parents and teens view alcohol consumption.

DMV Calls for Organizations to Help Save Lives on Virginia's Roads

Highway Safety Grant Fund Applications Accepted through February 28

If your organization's passion is making a difference in your community and you want to save lives, consider applying for a highway safety grant from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Grants allow Virginia-based law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, state and local government agencies, and colleges and universities to implement innovative programs and campaigns aimed at preventing and reducing traffic fatalities, injuries and crashes in Virginia.

Interested applicants may apply between February 1 – 28, 2023, and are required to complete a grant application training course. Workshops begin in January 2023. For information about the course, guidelines for grant applications, and access to the application, contact the DMV program manager in your area.

Grant-funded programs strive to increase seat belt use; decrease speeding; prevent drunk, drugged, drowsy or distracted driving; or promote motorcyclist, pedestrian, bicyclist, teen or senior driver safety. Objectives to measure the initiative's effectiveness are required, and funding is determined by the potential impact on these established performance objectives. Applications for programs that include Virginians of various cultures and ethnicities are encouraged. More information is available online.

Approved applications will receive funding from October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. Applicants participate on a cost-reimbursement basis.

Here are three examples of grant-funded projects:

A key provision in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law on November 15, 2021, requires a national safety standard for state-of-the-art smart technology in all new cars that would ultimately eliminate impaired driving. The clock is ticking on the 3-year timeline in the mandate.

At MADD, we offer an array of opportunities to match the interests of those who volunteer for us.

For our volunteers George Seal, Latoya Spady, and Brian Fitzgerald, their interest lies in assisting local law enforcement with sobriety checkpoints.

Along with Sergeant Clifford Middlebrook of the Henrico Police Department, they prepared for a chilly checkpoint this winter. At sobriety checkpoints, MADD volunteers assist by handing out red ribbons to drivers who are not impaired, thanking them for their help in keeping our roadways safe.

“I love working the checkpoints. The cold never bothers me – I work in the cold all day long. Some people are [angry] that you’re doing a checkpoint but when you see people saying ‘thank you’ when you’re handing them the ribbon and you see the look in their faces, it feels good,” said Brian Fitzgerald about volunteering at the checkpoint.

Thank you to Seargent Middlebrook for including MADD volunteers in his checkpoints, and thank you to the MADD volunteers who bundle up against the weather to help spread our message of NEVER driving impaired!

Left to Right: George Seal, Sergeant Middlebrook, Latoya Spady, Brian Fitzgerald