Mothers Against Drunk Driving recognized Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, and Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, for their leadership within the Washington Legislature to stop drunk driving.

Both legislators will be honored with an award presented at the MADD Washington state office in Seattle on Nov. 19.

“MADD thanks Sen. Padden and Rep. Goodman for their efforts in reforming Washington’s DUI law in the 2013 session and their leadership as co-chairs of the Washington State Impaired Driving Working Group. MADD appreciates their tireless work and commitment to advancing MADD’s mission in Washington by promoting effective DUI countermeasures,” said MADD national President Jan Withers.

Goodman and Padden advanced DUI reform with Senate Bill 5912 in 2013 that, among many provisions, included requiring repeat offenders to install an ignition interlock within five days of arrest. Under the legislators leadership, the Impaired Driving Working Group will be making further recommendations to Gov. Jay Inslee in early December that will strengthen Washington state’s impaired driving laws.

“When I first arrived in the Legislature, I asked law enforcement what was the greatest source of harm in our communities and they told me it was on our roadways, at the hands of drunk drivers,” Goodman said. “During the past seven years, I’ve worked hard to come up with tough and smart new measures to reduce alcohol-related deaths and injuries on our roads and to hold drunk drivers accountable. I’m proud to say that Washington state now leads the nation in making our roads safer. However, there is much unfinished business as the drunk driving tragedies continue. I am honored to receive MADD’s award this year and I look forward to our continued collaboration with MADD to ensure that our roads are free from drunk drivers.”

A major portion of MADD’s advocacy efforts originates from the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving that was launched in 2006. Prior to the campaign, only one state (New Mexico) required ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers. Today, 20 states, including Washington, require or highly incentivize the use of ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers. Since 2008, Washington lawmakers have perennially enacted improvements to the interlock law so that it is working as efficiently and effectively as possible.

“Through the efforts of Rep. Goodman and Sen. Padden, loopholes in Washington’s DUI law are being closed, making it more difficult for DUI offenders to slip through the cracks. As we move into a new year, MADD looks forward to continuing the momentum our state has taken in recent years with continuous improvements to Washington’s drunk driving laws,” said Amy Lea Ezzo, MADD Washington state manager.

Learn more at www.madd.org or by calling 1-877-ASK-MADD.