Fifteen Years of Service to Tennessee

by Barbara Tucker Reed

RID Tennessee State Coordinator

January 1997 marked the fifteenth anniversary of Remove Intoxicated Drivers - Oak Ridge/Anderson County. After Oak Ridger San San Peng and her two children were killed in October of 1981 by an allegedly intoxicated driver, a diverse group organized to prevent such tragedies. Over 300 individuals have been involved over the years. Mairzy Truex and I organized the first community meeting in November 1981 with about 14 interested individuals and invited the Anderson County District Attorney General, Jim Ramsey. By January 1982 the group had chosen to affiliate with Remove Intoxicated Drivers - USA, and had elected a board of officers. The RID - USA founder and president, Doris Aiken and her husband attended that January meeting. Schools were closed because of snow and cold weather, yet the Oak Ridge City Courtroom was packed.

Work With State Legislation

In 1982, our late State Senator, James "Buzz" Elkins and Randy McNally (then our Representative) together with Senator Curtis Person of Shelby County led the fight to pass a tougher DUI law, opposed by the alcohol industry and trial lawyers' lobbyists. Other legislators, many DAs and judges, as well as some of Governor Lamar Alexander’s staff, also resisted change. However, the legislation was passed and signed into law becoming effective in July 1982. That law was one of the first in the nation to have a mandatory fine, loss of driver’s license, and jail sentence for DUI. Raising fines from the customary $50 to a minimum of $250 and elimination of “deferral738221; for DUI had a profound effect.

Other legislators who followed, David Coffey, Micahel Williams, and Gene Caldwell have made our cause their own. Dr. Caldwell, served on our Board several years before he ran for office.

The Oak Ridge group was instrumental in starting RID chapters in Maryville, Chattanooga, Loudon County, Knoxville, and Dyersburg. We promoted the first MADD chapter in the Nashville Metro area. In 1989 we saw a statewide network to assist victims established.

Court Watch Started

Our court monitoring group began in 1981 and is now the oldest continuous court watch in the country. We have helped many other groups around the country get established. Not all were concerned with DUI; some monitor sexual assault cases, others domestic violence or child abuse. We found only about half of our court’s fines actually being collected, which resulted in a new law to enforce collections.

Changes to Tennessee State Laws

We have supported many changes in the legal system during the past fifteen years. The drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 years. Mandatory safety belts and child restraint laws and reckless child endangerment laws were enacted. Victim witness coordinators were incorporated in DA’s offices. The Victim’s Bill of Rights for Tennessee was passed. Law enforcement officer’s training for handling impaired and intoxicated drivers was improved. A standardized field sobriety test was put in place by most law enforcement agencies. Judges and DAs also received training.

Repeat offenders may now go into alcohol/drug treatment facilities as part of their jail time. Judges can require an offender to attend a treatment program. Vehicle interlock devices can be required, and vehicle confiscation has been introduced.

RID was instrumental in starting the East Tennessee Victims’ Rights Task Force in Knoxville, the Tennessee Victims’ Coalition in Nashville, and the Knoxville Metropolitan Drug Commission DUI Committee. We helped plan and took part in the one day DUI Forum in Knoxville which featured Dr. C. Everett Koop. I had the pleasure of being a board member for the National Coalition To Prevent Impaired Driving, which was formed at his recommendation while he was Surgeon General.

The SADD (Students Against Drunk Drivers) group at Oak Ridge High School was given funding and assistance in forming in the early 1980’s. Our members have provided safety programs for schools, churches, civic organizations, and corporations. We have sponsored Dial-A-Ride at Christmas and New Years to provide free taxi service for those who needed rides. We also promote National Victims Rights week in April and National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week in December.

In 1988 we sponsored a regional conference on highway safety with nationally known speakers. New highway safety groups joined RID-USA from North Carolina, Virginia, and Alabama as a result of this meeting.

With an all volunteer Board and court watch, our RID chapter has never lacked financial resources. We have never had to organize fund raising events. Our members’ contributions, with occasional corporate support, have met our modest needs. Members have worked diligently to make our roads safer, and our courts more effective. Their reward is the knowledge that their efforts have spared many families from needless grief and pain.

This article originally appeared in the Fall 1997 RID Oak Ridge/Anderson County newsletter.