Rockers Join Fight Against Drunk Driving

First there was MADD--Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Then there was SADD--Students Against Drunk Driving. Now there is RADD--Rockers Against Drunk Driving.

Is it all just becoming a fad?

No way, said heavy-metal singer Ronnie James Dio.

“It’s not the call letters that are important, it’s the message inside. No one wants to see anyone else killed, especially for the stupid reason of a driver being drunk.”

Holiday Season

Dio, who once suffered a 150-stitch gash in his head in a collision with a drunk driver, was one of three rock stars hosting a Friday morning news conference in Los Angeles to inaugurate a holiday season program of public service messages from the newly organized, nonprofit organization.

About 50 well-known musicians will be featured on RADD’s various radio spots, which will be broadcast on 250 radio stations nationwide, beginning next week. Among the artists are such veteran social activists as Jackson Browne and Crosby, Stills and Nash, as well as members of the Rolling Stones, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and REO Speedwagon.

Distinguishing itself from more traditional anti-drinking organizations, RADD is not against sipping per se, its leaders explained. Rather, the group’s aim is to warn youngsters about getting behind the wheel after imbibing.

“The great thing about this project is it’s cool to drink, but not to drive,” said Morton Weinstein, executive producer of the group’s audio message project.

And just how much is it cool to drink? Each artist has his own opinion.

Everything in Moderation

In what might sound like an eye-opening statement for a singer who once fronted a band called Black Sabbath, Dio declared: “I think everything should be done in moderation. . . . Drinking to excess is stupid and wrong.”

Bret Michaels, lead singer of the glam-rock quartet Poison, took a different tack.

“The fact is, there is nothing at all wrong with partying. I’d be a liar to say it because I do it myself. But when you’re drunk, just don’t drive--it’s suicide,” said Michaels, whose outfit included a gun holster string tie and enough metal wristbands and rings to set off metal detectors from here to Schenectady.

Like Dio, Michaels, 24, said he once nearly died as a result of drunk driving. When he was 16, he said, he and a close friend got drunk at a bar that served underage teens. Michaels decided to drive home with his sister, who was sober. His friend decided to drive home himself--and died in an accident.

“Definitely designate one person to be straight or sober (to drive home) when you go out to have a good time,” Michaels suggested.

“It’s just respect for fellow man,” echoed David Paich, keyboardist and singer for Toto.

Organizers said RADD is a vital supplement to other drunk-driving groups because youngsters are more apt to listen to musicians than to their mothers.

“We are able to talk to the kids who think we are bigger than life,” said Dio, who also helped organize a heavy-metal counterpart to We Are the World to assist famine relief efforts.

According to Weinstein, rock fans are particularly crucial to reach since more than 65% of deaths involving 16- to-24-year-olds are alcohol-related.

Next year, RADD, which was founded by San Jose radio programming director Ken Anthony, hopes to expand its efforts by soliciting the participation of additional rockers, country and contemporary pop artists, Weinstein said.