Candy Lightner
Candy Lightner is an influential American activist best known for founding Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in response to the tragic death of her daughter, Cari, who was killed by a drunk driver in 1980. Following this devastating loss, Lightner dedicated her life to advocating for stricter laws against drunk driving and raising public awareness of its dangers. MADD quickly gained traction under her leadership, leading to significant legislative changes, including the push to raise the legal drinking age to 21 nationwide.
In addition to her work with MADD, Lightner has continued her advocacy through other initiatives, including the founding of We Save Lives in 2013, which focuses on combating drunk, drugged, and distracted driving. Throughout her career, she has been recognized with numerous awards, highlighting her impact on legislation and public perception surrounding drunk driving. Despite stepping away from MADD in the 1980s amid some controversies, Lightner's early contributions remain integral to the organization's ongoing mission and success. Today, she resides in Florida and continues to engage in advocacy work while sharing her story in various media outlets.
Candy Lightner
Activist
- Born: May 30, 1946
- Place of Birth: Pasadena, California
- Education: American River College
- Significance: Candy Lightner is an American activist who is famous for founding the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Lightner left MADD in the 1980s, but in 2013 established We Save Lives, an organization that combats drunk, drugged, and distracted driving.
Background
Candace "Candy" Lightner was born on May 30, 1946. She spent her childhood in California, where her parents both worked for the US Air Force. Lightner later attended American River College (ARC) in Sacramento, California. After college, she worked as a dental assistant and married Steve Lightner, an officer in the air force.
Lightner and her husband had three children: twin daughters Cari and Serena and son Travis. However, their marriage did not last. Lightner divorced her husband and moved with her children to Fair Oaks, California. She also changed careers and began selling real estate.
Tragedy struck the family on May 3, 1980, when a drunk driver hit and killed Cari Lightner, who had been walking to a church festival with a friend. Cari was only thirteen years old. The driver of the car, Clarence Busch, fled the scene of the accident. Police later discovered that Busch was intoxicated at the time of the accident. He was recently released from prison after serving a sentence for another drunk driving incident.
While grieving the loss of her daughter, Lightner discovered that drunk drivers rarely spend much time incarcerated—and Busch would be no exception. He later served only twenty-one months for his role in Cari Lightner's death. Candy Lightner soon decided to work to change the laws regulating drunk driving.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Just days after her daughter's death, Lightner took action. She formed a group called Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, which would later be known as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Lightner quit her job to focus her efforts MADD's mission: to pass stricter penalties for drunk driving. MADD was incorporated on September 5, 1980, the day that would have been Cari Lightner's fourteenth birthday.
Other moms soon joined in Lightner's fight. MADD chapters were created across the country to raise awareness of the problem of drunk driving. Lightner lobbied California governor Jerry Brown to create a special commission on drunk driving. She eventually succeeded—Brown created the commission and appointed Lightner to it. She began traveling around the country on behalf of her organization to discuss ways to prevent and reduce drunk driving.
One of MADD's main goals was to raise the legal drinking age from eighteen to twenty-one in all states. Some MADD leaders also wanted to reduce the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from .15 percent to .10 percent. (BAC measures the amount of alcohol in a person's system.) Lightner and others brought their concerns to the federal government in Washington, DC. Their efforts led to President Ronald Reagan's establishment of a Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving in 1982. Reagan later appointed Lightner to this commission.
In 1984, Lightner stood by the president as he signed legislation that would reduce federal grants to any state that did not raise its legal drinking age to twenty-one. However, the following year, Lightner left MADD amidst rumors that the organization had spent too much money on fundraising and not enough on programs. Additionally, Lightner supposedly asked for a $10,000 bonus on top of her more than $75,000 salary.
Continued Career
Lightner continued to speak out against drunk driving. In 1990, she coauthored the book Giving Sorrow Words: How to Cope with Grief and Get on with Your Life. In 1993, she accepted a job lobbying for an organization that represented restaurants that served alcohol. Some critics accused the activist of hypocrisy, arguing that someone who wanted to reduce drunk driving should not be lobbying for businesses that sell alcohol. Lightner did not see it this way, though. She claimed her job had nothing to do with her beliefs about drunk driving. She also disagreed with MADD on some issues. MADD continued to call for laws reducing the legal BAC even further to .08 percent, but Lightner did not think this was the best way to prevent people from being killed by drunk drivers. She wanted to focus on obtaining stricter penalties for repeat offenders, like the man who killed her daughter. Nevertheless, MADD proved victorious in this battle. In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed legislation requiring states to reduce the legal BAC to 0.08 by 2004.
Lightner eventually founded her own consulting company, CL and Associates. In 2013, she established another organization, We Save Lives. This organization's mission is to prevent highway traffic deaths by reducing drugged, drunk, and distracted driving. Over the years, Lightner has received many awards and honors for her work as an activist. They include the President's Volunteer Service Award and the World Young Women's Christian Association (WYCA) Woman of the Year Award.
Impact
Although Lightner is no longer with MADD, the organization she founded has had a tremendous effect on Americans' perception of drunk driving. MADD has also helped change national laws to reduce drunk driving and prevent fatal car accidents. Lightner's leadership helped MADD grow into an international organization within the first three years of its existence.
Personal Life
Lightner has two grown children. She lives and works in Florida. Over the years, Lightner has shared her story on a number of television shows, including the Today Show and 60 Minutes.
Principal Work: Nonfiction
Giving Sorrow Words: How to Cope with Grief and Get on with Your Life, 1990
Bibliography
"Candace Lightner, Founder and President, We Save Lives and Founder, MADD." We Save Lives, 2017, wesavelives.org/about-us/candace-lightner/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
"Candy Lightner." Biography.com, 23 May 2016, www.biography.com/people/candy-lightner-21173669. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
"History." MADD, www.madd.org/history/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
Lewin, Tamar. "Founder of Anti-Drunk-Driving Group Now Lobbies for Breweries." New York Times, 15 Jan. 1994, www.nytimes.com/1994/01/15/us/founder-of-anti-drunk-driving-group-now-lobbies-for-breweries.html. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
"Transforming Tragedy Into Action: Candace Lightner." Small Deeds Done, 4 Jan. 2022, smalldeedsdone.com/2022/01/04/transforming-tragedy-into-action-candace-lightner/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.