Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) staff, volunteers, victims and survivors, and the community at large are gearing up for MADD Heartland’s inaugural Bike Like MADD Tour De Heart virtual cycling event running May 1 through May 31! Cyclists from all over are invited to pedal and virtually join us as we ride toward a future of No More Victims of impaired driving! Proceeds directly benefit the MADD Heartland Region comprised of Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
Any bike. All ages. Any location. All fitness levels. Simply register, raise, and ride to help save lives!
MADD’s mission is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking. Bike Like MADD is a virtual event calling for awareness of MADD’s mission and vulnerable roadway users, like cyclists, who make up an alarming number of the victims MADD serves and advocates for.
Throughout the month of May, participants will track their cycling mileages virtually with an app and set goals to complete and earn badges for each Tour De Heart stage. The first 39 miles completed is in honor of the person killed in America every 39 minutes due to drunk and/or drugged driving.
Event site: https://fundraising.madd.org/event/bikeheart
Since our inception we’ve cut drunk driving deaths by 50%, saved more than 400,000 lives, and served over 900,000 victims of impaired driving. Our work is not done. Drunk driving is still the number one cause of death on our roadways with more than 10,000 lives lost and 300,000 injured each year. Over the past three years, the U.S. has seen an increase in impaired driving, especially during the pandemic. Overall, drunk driving deaths increased by 14% in 2020 and again in 2021, rising to more than 13,000 for the first time since 2006.
The number of bicyclists killed in traffic crashes has been steadily trending upwards since 2010. From 2010 to 2021, bicyclist fatalities ranged from 623 to a high of 966 with a yearly average of 800. Bicyclists accounted for 2.2% of total traffic fatalities in 2021. Bicyclist injuries remain consistently, disproportionately high. In 2021 an additional estimated 41,615 bicyclists were injured. Over the last 5 years, estimated injury-only crashes averaged about 45,400 yearly (per NHTSA’s “Bicycle Safety” section of “Countermeasures That Work”).
Bike Like MADD Tour De Heart serves to call attention to the crime of drunk and/or drugged driving, emphasizing the vulnerability of certain roadway users.
If you, or someone you love, has been the victim of impaired driving, support is available at no cost 24 hours a day via the MADD Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP (1-877-623-3435) or www.MADD.org.
About Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nonprofit leader in a movement to create a world where there are #NoMoreVictims of impaired driving. By working in collaboration with law enforcement to end underage drinking and all drunk and drugged driving, MADD has helped reduce drunk driving deaths by more than 50%, saving more than 400,000 lives. The organization is a vocal advocate for tougher sentencing, new laws and new technology, including implementation of the Halt Act. MADD also has provided supportive services to nearly one million victims of drunk and drugged driving at no charge through local victim advocates and its 24-Hour Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP. For more information or to make a donation, visit us at https://madd.org/and follow MADD on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.