COLUMBIA, SC: The South Carolina Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) will hold the statewide candlelight vigil on “the green” at Columbia College, on Saturday, March 24 at 4:00 pm. The public is invited to participate. An outdoor reception will immediately follow the vigil. The ceremony will honor the memories of those who have been lost to drunk driving and provide hope for the future through education and prevention. Special guests will include Columbia Mayor Bob Coble and South Carolina Department of Public Safety director, James K. Schweitzer.

Despite a more than 40 percent decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalities since MADD was founded in 1980, the threat still remains. Every year, nearly 13,000 people are killed in the United States by drunk drivers with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above and countless others are injured. This represents more than 1,000 families every month that must live with the tragic consequences of drunk driving.

The percentage of traffic fatalities in South Carolina that are alcohol related has increased in recent years after dropping to its lowest level of 32% in 1994. The U.S. Department of Transportation defines alcohol-related deaths as "fatalities that occur in crashes where at least one driver or non-occupant (pedestrian or bicyclist) involved in the crash has a positive Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) value."

In case of rain, the vigil will be held in the College Place United Methodist Church (adjacent to campus) and the reception will be held in Humphries Hall on campus. Columbia College is located at 1301 Columbia College Drive, off North Main Street, near downtown.

For more information, contact Jami Goldman, SCMADD executive director (803-748-7333) or Nicolette Saxon, Columbia College victim’s advocate (803-786-3379).