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Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD Canada) is a non-profit, grassroots organization that is committed to stopping impaired driving and to supporting the victims of this violent crime. At the heart of MADD Canada are our volunteers who include not only mothers, but fathers, friends, business professionals, experts in the anti-impaired driving field and concerned citizens who want to make a difference in the fight against impaired driving.

MADD Canada’s aim is to offer support services to victims, heighten awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving, and to save lives and prevent injuries on our roads.

MADD Canada’s History
MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) was started in California in 1980 by Candy Lightner, a woman whose twelve year old daughter, Cari, had been tragically killed in a crash caused by an impaired driver. The impaired driver, who had previously been convicted four times of driving while intoxicated (DUI), received a two-year prison sentence but avoided serving his sentence in prison by serving time in a work camp and a halfway house instead.
The leniency of the sentence given to this impaired driver outraged Ms. Lightner, who then made the decision that she must do something to help stop other families from enduring a similar tragedy. She and a group of her friends, who were also mothers, formed the first MADD Chapter in California in 1980.
There had been similar groups formed in the 1980s in Ontario; all with the same purpose of fighting impaired driving. One of these groups, called PRIDE (People to Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere - originally “Etobicoke”), negotiated with MADD USA in 1990 to form MADD Canada. MADD Toronto was one of its first Chapters.

MADD Canada was formed in 1990 to create a national network of victims and concerned citizens working to stop impaired driving and to support victims of this violent crime. An organization which Candy Lightner had named “Mothers Against Drunk Driving” because of the concerted efforts of she and other mothers, is now comprised of volunteers who are dads, brothers, sisters, family members, friends, victims, and concerned citizens.

The organization’s national presence and its local contributions are a direct result of the many people who have stepped forward in fighting impaired driving - to make their communities’ roads safer and to lend a hand to victims and their families.

If you would like further information on MADD Canada, please visit www.madd.ca.