MADD, Law Enforcement Team Up for ‘Saturation Saturday’ on Aug. 26

On Saturday, August 26, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (known as MADD) volunteers and staff will join forces with law enforcement patrols across the country for the fifth nationwide “Saturation Saturday.” The event is part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, which runs from Aug. 18 through Labor Day.

In a separate operation, the Pasadena Police Department announced officers will conduct a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on Friday, August 25 at an undisclosed location within Pasadena city limits.

MADD’s campaign aims to increase impaired driving enforcement, sobriety checkpoints, and anti-drunk driving advertising during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. According to NHTSA, 13,384 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2021 — that’s one person every 39 minutes.

MADD California State Executive Director Pat Rillera said, “We want our community members to understand that it’s our first priority to keep people safe, so we’re asking everyone to plan ahead if they know they’ll be out drinking.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that sobriety checkpoints reduce drunk driving deaths by 20%. MADD advocates funding for NHTSA’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over events every year in August and December, as well as the Click It or Ticket campaign in May.

During the 2021 Labor Day holiday period, there were 531 crash fatalities nationwide. Of these, 41% involved a drunk driver. Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday period in 2021, 48% were drunk.

MADD and law enforcement are working together to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal; it’s a matter of life and death. As you head out to festivities during the end of summer and Labor Day weekend, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.