MADD or Mothers Against Drunk Driving was created to help stop drunk driving. MADD is an acronym for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. MADD is a non-profit organization that was founded in the United States which focuses on just the issue of drunk driving. MADD was started in 1980 by Candy Lightner after her 13 year old daughter died due to drunk driving. Her daughter was hit by drunk driver while walking down the street in Sacramento, California. Because of that Lightner decided to start an organization to fight against drunk driving.

Drunk driving is a huge problem for the United States and MADD is trying to rectify the problem permanently. Drunk driving usually causes car crashes because the drivers have slower reaction times and seriously poor judgment. Most of the time the victims of the car crashes, are innocent and not drunk themselves. Passengers in other cars, pedestrians, cyclists are just as likely to be killed due to drunk driving as the driver. Many people feel drunk driving is irresponsible because it endangers not only the life of the driver but the life of someone else. Drunk driving is illegal in the United States.

Later on after MADD was established they added a measure to their goal to slow down underage drinking. MADD often uses a number of tactics which can be controversial to achieve this goal. Critics of MADD have said that the organization abridges civil rights in its want to stop drunk driving. Supporters of MADD argue that being killed by a drunk driver is an even more severe restriction of civil liberties for the victim. MADD is active in drunk driving legislation. MADD is also responsible for nation-wide legislation which penalizes drunk driving more evenly across the states and also increases the punishment for those caught drunk driving. MADD also lobbied for a reduction of the legal blood alcohol limit to .08 and it supports heavier fines and jail time to drunk drivers. MADD also supports a heavier punishment for repeat drunk drivers.

MADD (Mothers against drunk driving) also participates in victim advocacy and education. MADD assists victims of drunk drivers along with the survivors. MADD will sometimes try to get victims to give impact statements in trials for the drunk drivers and stages massively public campaigns to raise the awareness about drunk driving. MADD also educates schools and drivers education programs. MADD says that there has been a significant decrease in alcohol related accidents since its founding in 1980.

Every 52 minutes on average someone is killed in a drunk driving car accident. Every 90 seconds someone is injured and MADD believes this is totally preventable and is doing what they can to help with the 10,228 people total that died just in 2010 due to drunk driving. Along with their goal to eliminate drunk driving, MADD also offers parents of teens workshops and handbooks in order to help them talk to their kids about drinking.

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