Remove Intoxicated Drivers

Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID) is one of the oldest national organization in the United States fighting alcohol impaired and drunk driving (DUI and DWI). Established in 1978 by Doris Aiken, the group's mission is to reduce alcohol impaired driving, advocate for victims, promote tough anti-DUI/DWI laws, reduce underage drinking, and serve as a watchdog for effective law enforcement of anti-drunken driving laws.
Aiken was motivated to do something about the problem of drunk driving after the mother of two teenage victims contacted her to advocate for her children. Upon contacting the Schenectady County DA she was told to "advise the parents not to be vengeful,the driver did not mean to do it" and thereafter RID with Doris Aiken became a viable citizens action advocate.
Aiken has received numerous awards over the years for her efforts in combating drunk driving and passing legislation which prevented DWI defendants from plea bargaining out of driving while intoxicated charges.
In March of 1981, Aiken was presented with the Jefferson Award, a recognition which honors community and public volunteerism. In June of 1983, Aiken received the Presidential Citizen Award from President Reagan and was appointed to the National Commission against Drunk Driving that same year.
On December 6, 1988, the National Commission against Drunk Driving presented the Commendation Award to Aiken.
On September 22, 1997 Aiken received the Widmark Award from ICDATS (The International Council on Drugs, Alcohol and Traffic Safety) in Annecy , France . The Widmark award is an international recognition of citizens who have achieved success in improving the areas concerning drugs, alcohol and traffic safety.
In June of 2008, UCLA honored its alumni Aiken with a lifetime activist award. Aiken graduated from UCLA with a BA degree in sociology in 1957.
At the national level, RID was an effective advocate for setting the drinking age standard at 21 (1984), the Howard-Barnes bill (setting DWI legislative standards), the Alcohol Warning Label Act (1988) and supported the U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold safety driving checkpoints.
RID is unique in that it does not hire professional fundraisers, has no paid employees in the field, spends over 90% of all funds on programs, has no special interests represented on its boards of directors, and accepts no advertisements in its newsletter and bulletins.
Other groups active in fighting intoxicated driving include Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD), and the Century Council.
 
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