Laura Dean-Mooney, born and raised in Texas and now living in Florida, takes over as MADD’s new National President this week. Just in time for the nation’s celebration of July 4th and our country’s independence and freedom, Dean-Mooney aims to make sure the public has the freedom to drive on roadways without the fear of drunk drivers sharing those roads. This holiday weekend is among the deadliest for drunk driving, especially given the long weekend for many. In 2005, nearly half (47 percent) of all traffic fatalities involved a drunk driver resulting in 182 people being killed over a four-day period. Countless others were injured.
In November 1991, Mike Dean – Laura’s husband and father to her then 8-month-old-daughter – died behind the wheel of his car on a Dallas-Fort Worth highway in a DUI accident. The offender, who died at the scene, had a blood alcohol concentration of .34, more than four times the illegal drunk driving level.
“This was the saddest day of my life. My husband was killed for no reason and my daughter was fatherless,” said Dean-Mooney. “There wasn’t Thanksgiving that year. My daughter’s life, my life, and that of all the families involved changed forever. Fortunately, I decided to do something about this horrific event by trying to prevent others from suffering the same kind of pain. MADD makes the roads safer and I wanted to be part of that.” Dean-Mooney has volunteered for MADD since 1993 and knows that her willingness to take action and to donate her time and dollars to MADD has made a tremendous impact in her family’s life.
“I’ve seen .08 BAC pass because of the fearless leaders before me. I’ve seen underage drinking become a part of MADD’s mission formally and I’ve seen a Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving spur a nation to no longer view drunk driving crashes as an accepted part of life in the United States. A major change from complacency to mandating ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers’ vehicles,” she added.
Dean-Mooney’s primary focus during her Presidency will be the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which calls for alcohol-ignition interlock devices on all offenders’ vehicles and are proven an average of 64 percent effective in reducing repeat drunk driving offenses. Another major piece of MADD’s Campaign is high-visibility enforcement, such as sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols. The CDC reports these efforts reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities and crashes by up to 24 percent. This August, Dean-Mooney will join national leaders to kick off a nationwide enforcement wave that will remind motorists that if they drive drunk, they will be arrested and there will be serious consequences.
Laura’s work will include an immediate focus in California and Florida, as well as Texas. Recently, the California Senate Public Safety Committee, chaired by Senator Gloria Romero, approved a very weak version of AB 2784. The bill originally called for interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers in California. Unfortunately, prior to submitting the bill to his Assembly Appropriations Committee, Chairman Mark Leno amended the bill to make interlocks voluntary even for repeat offenders.
California families share the road with 310,971 drunk drivers with three or more DUI convictions and a voluntary bill will likely not be used, as MADD has seen in other parts of the country. The ideal interlock bill would cover all convicted drunk drivers and be mandated by the courts. Dean-Mooney is working feverishly with MADD California, legislative and other safety leaders to help ensure passage of an interlock bill for all convicted drunk drivers passes.
Floridians are sharing the road with 108,853 drunk drivers with three or more DUI convictions, and of those, 13,054 have five or more convictions – drivers who, with an interlock, would be unable to recommit their crimes. Fortunately, Florida’s Governor signed into law CS 1992, a highway safety bill that requires a period of interlock use for all high BAC (.15 or higher) convicted drunk drivers. This new law will ensure that thousands more convicted of drunk driving are unable to repeat their crime. MADD Florida, as well as Dean-Mooney, who resides in Orlando, will be working in 2009 to help pass an interlock bill for all convicted drunk drivers. Dean-Mooney, who has worked closely with Florida law enforcement since moving to the state in 2001, will also set her sights on ensuring law enforcement has the much needed resources to carry out very important drunk driving enforcement such as sobriety checkpoints as well as maintaining specialized DUI squads.
Texas is among the worst in the nation for drunk driving and Dean-Mooney’s roots go back to K-12 and college schooling days there. “I have a special place in my heart for Texas, but so much more must be done. Mike might be here today if Texas had better laws followed by tough enforcement and sentencing for this 100 percent preventable crime,” she said. “Passing interlocks for all drunk driving offenders and sobriety checkpoints to deter drunk driving would be a great start.” She will be working with MADD Texas to further their legislative goals as well as reaching out to Texas judges about their roles in helping stop the revolving door of drunk driving in the Lone Star State.
Since the Campaign launched in 2006, eight states have mandated interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers and six states mandate for those at .15 blood alcohol concentration or higher. Thirty three of the 36 remaining states have discretionary laws, which are proven ineffective because they are rarely used. The other three have no interlock law – a big problem in those states.”
