MADD VA June E-Newsletter

MADD MidAtlantic Region Announces New Executive Director

We are excited to announce that Bryna Clark-Braverman has been promoted to Regional Executive Director of MADD MidAtlantic effective May 29th. Bryna has been with MADD Maryland since 2014. She has served as a Victim Services Specialist, a Program Specialist, and most recently as Program Director for MADD Maryland. She will oversee operations in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and DC. Bryna replaces Roderick Howard who now serves as a Director of Mission Operations, overseeing our Mid-Atlantic Region and as well as several other regions around the country.

And another staff change - we are sad to announce that Public Relations Specialist, Rae Carkhuff has left MADD VA for a new position. We will miss Rae’s many talents and wish them well in their new position.

NHTSA Releases Detailed Information on 2021 Alcohol Impaired Driving Crashes

On June 1, NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) released detailed information on 2021 Alcohol-Impaired driving crashes.

Some of the key findings include:

In 2021 there were 13,384 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes in which at least one driver was alcohol-impaired. This represented 31 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States for the year.
Fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes increased by 14.2 percent (11,718 to 13,384 fatalities) from 2020 to 2021.
One alcohol-impaired-driving fatality occurred every 39 minutes in 2021, on average.
The 21- to 24-year-old age group and the 25- to 34-year-old age group had the highest percentages (27% each) of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes compared to other age groups in 2021.
Of the 1,184 traffic fatalities in 2021 among children 14 and younger, 25 percent (294) occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.
In 2021, among the 13,384 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities, 67 percent (9,027) were in crashes in which at least one driver had a BAC of .15 g/dL or higher, almost twice the legal limit in Virginia of .08.

You can view the entire fact sheet here: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/.../ViewPublication/813450.

MADD VA Law Enforcement Award winners who attended the ceremony held in Richmond, VA on October 26, 2022

The 2023 MADD Law Enforcement Awards Are Coming Up!!

Each year we hold the MADD Virginia Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony. Law enforcement agencies from across the state send in the name(s) of the officers they believe deserve this prestigious award for their impaired driving prevention efforts in their communities. In October 2022, over two hundred law enforcement officers from across Virginia were honored for their efforts to stop impaired driving. A complete list of winners from 2022 can be found here.

In the July newsletter, we will announce the date and location of the 2023 ceremony. In August, we will send emails to departments soliciting officer names for awards. Questions? Contact [email protected]

Lets Have a Safe July 4th!

Virginia State Police report that over the 2022 July 4th holiday, there were nine people killed in crashes in Virginia. Three of those were motorcyclists. And did you know that walking home is not a guaranteed solution? In Virginia in 2022, there were 49 fatalities and 196 injuries involving drinking pedestrians. ( Source: VA DMV 2022 Crash Facts)

As you plan July 4th festivities involving alcohol or other drugs, please be sure that everyone has a plan for getting home safely.

Want to share July 4 messaging on Social Media? There are lots of options! Use these creative materials on your social media from MADD VA and MADD National Facebook. Here are additional resources from NHTSA, VA ABC Education and Prevention, Drive Safe Hampton Roads, Drive Smart Virginia, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program ( WRAP), and the Virginia State Police, just to name a few!

Help us spread the word to keep people safe this 4th!

Calendar

Upcoming Volunteer Information Sessions via Zoom: 6/27 6pm, 6/28 12 noon, 7/18 6pm, 7/19 noon. For more information, email [email protected]
Walk Like MADD Richmond is coming up on September 30th!