Campaign Delivers Powerful Message About Risks of Drinking and Driving
In January of 1999, TCWF provided a two-year, $100,000 grant for the San Diego County Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to establish a community-driven public health campaign to educate local communities about the health risks of drinking and driving. "This grant was a key factor in the success of the campaign, because without the funding we wouldn’t have been able to even launch the effort," said Bonnie Helander, executive director of MADD’s San Diego Chapter.
MADD is also working with the justice system to educate people who have been convicted of drunk driving. More than 2,000 Spanish-speaking convicted offenders have been ordered by the court to view a 52-minute video produced by MADD that portrays the stories of three Latino individuals who lost family members or were seriously injured in a drunk driving incident. "We have had an overwhelming and positive response to the video. There were a series of Latino offenders who were extremely touched and remorseful for what they had done," Helander said. "After witnessing the stories of loved ones who suffer after such tragedy, offenders have been able to realize that drinking and driving is wrong—and very costly."
"Mothers Against Drunk Driving is an effective community response to the high-risk behaviors surrounding drinking and the subsequent preventable crashes, injuries and deaths that occur as a result," said Fran Jemmott, TCWF senior program officer. "Because of the pain and suffering of members who have experienced loss due to drunk driving, this organization has ignited the public consciousness of this serious public health problem." MADD’s public awareness campaign in San Diego has reached more than 300,000 people locally in an effort to provide a healthier and safer community for its residents.
|
The campaign’s
materials are produced primarily in Spanish to serve the large Spanish-speaking population
in San Diego County. The campaign was kicked off with radio and television public service
announcements, featuring a Latino celebrity spokesperson, that aired on several local
Spanish-language stations. MADD recruited and trained 20 volunteers to help promote the
campaign and disseminate Spanish-language brochures and posters in the community.
The campaign caught the
attention of a popular variety television show, Sabado Gigante, which airs on the
Spanish-language television network Univision. The show’s producers interviewed a
MADD spokesperson and aired a 13-minute segment last fall warning drivers about the
serious consequences of drinking and driving. Nearly 100 million people are estimated to
have viewed the segment.
Summer 2000
All rights reserved. Property of The California Wellness
Foundation.
|
