News
DWI Deaths: Is it Murder?
Last night Bob Simon of CBS's 60 Minutes ran a story called "DWI Deaths: Is it Murder?".
Martin Heidgen, a drunk driver who ran into a limo carrying the Flynn family in July 2005, had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit. Seven-year-old Katie Flynn was brutally killed in the crash. Her grandfather, Chris Tangney, was injured so badly that he was given last rights by Monsignor William Costello. Ironically, six months later, that same priest was hit by a drunk driver named Karen Fisher, a repeat offender.
The Century Council has a name for drunk drivers such as Mr. Heidgen and Ms. Fisher: hardcore drunk drivers. We applaud Nassau County (NY) District Attorney Kathleen Rice’s efforts to prosecute drunk drivers to the fullest extent of the law in her continued efforts to stop drunk driving. The public, law enforcement, the judiciary, and legislators all have a role to play in the effort to keep our roads safe.
We invite you to learn more about hardcore drunk drivers, our work with prosecutors and judges across the country, and our efforts to fight drunk driving by visiting our website - www.centurycouncil.org.
B4UDrink Featured in WOW Webcast!
B4UDrink.Mobi is one of the featured wireless safety applications in this month’s "Wonder of Wireless" (WOW) webcast, produced by CTIA-The Wireless Association(R). The webcast shows viewers how easy it is to estimate your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) by using a cell phone to access B4UDrink.Mobi. A special thank you to the Fairfax County Police Department in Northern Virginia for being part of this webcast and encouraging drivers to use their wireless device to notify police of suspected drunk drivers. Check out the webcast below. To learn more about CTIA and other wireless safety initiatives, visit www.CTIA.org.
B4UDrink Goes Mobile!
The B4UDrink Educator, which allows users to learn how alcohol consumption affects individuals' Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level, has now expanded. In addition to B4Udrink.org's online Virtual Bar, users can now use the interactive program on the go by navigating to B4UDrink.mobi on cell phones, BlackBerrys, PDAs, iPhones, and any other smart phones and devices with internet access. Now that B4UDrink has gone mobile, you can estimate BAC levels before you drink anywhere and everywhere you take your mobile phone!
National Teen Driver Safety Week
The Century Council is a longtime advocate for increasing safety on our country's roadways, and we support the goals and ideals of National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 19-25, 2008). This year we partnered with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Ad Council, Nationwide Insurance, and the American School Counselor Association to distribute an interactive web-based game that highlights how distractions make it increasingly difficult for a teen driver to safely operate their vehicle. The game features images and messages that teens can relate to which we hope will remind them to drive safely. Please join our effort by sending the game to a teen and encourage them to send it to a friend.
Washington State's Governor Carded
Back in July, Christine Gregoire, Washington's Governor, was carded upon entering a bar. Unfortunately, Gregoire did not have her ID with her, which meant that the doorman had to turn her away from the bar. Even while people vouched for her ("She's the governor!") and her age ("She's 61!"), the doorman stood his ground and did not allow her in without an ID. Here at The Century Council, we applaud the doorman, the bar, and the state of Washington for carding appropriately to prevent underage drinking – even when it's the governor at the door! After the incident, Hannah's, the bar that Gregoire was turned away from, did a little updating of one of our signs to show their commitment to carding.
(photo credit: source)