Jody Miller of Wheeling holds a photo of her late daughter, Heather Miller, outside the U.S. Capitol. (Photo Provided)
WHEELING — Wheeling resident Jody Miller went to Washington Tuesday to participate in a ceremony reminding the public of the dangers of drunk driving, and to promote a new law requiring car manufacturers to install technology that keeps impaired drivers from ever starting their vehicle.
Miller was among members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) who gathered from across the nation to light 10,000 tea candles on the lawn of the National Mall Tuesday to symbolize the number of lives lost or forever changed by drunk drivers each year.
“This also symbolizes how many lives are going to be saved annually when the new technology is built into vehicles,” she explained.
The Halt Act was passed in 2021. It directs the federal government to require that all new vehicles come equipped with “smart technology that passively, seamlessly and unobtrusively detects and stops impaired driving.” Automobile manufacturers have until 2026 to implement the technology.
Meanwhile, the number of drunk driving deaths annually has increased by 33% since 2019, according to information provided by MADD. Recent years have seen as many as 13,000 killed and more than 400,000 injured by drunk drivers.
A photo of Miller’s daughter Heather, who died as the result of a vehicle crash in 2008, was set on the lawn and Miller placed a candle next to it.
Miller was among 300 people who were to walk across the stage, say their loved one’s name and set a candle next to a photo.
Miller is very active with MADD, as well as organizations promoting organ donation.
“I don’t want to say I do it for me or my family. It’s for everybody,” she explained “I do it for the grandchildren, nieces, cousins so that no family ever has to experience what we did. It’s an eternity.
“Nothing will bring her back, but I’m sure going to try and see it doesn’t happen to anybody else’s family. That is what drives me.”
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