[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11522]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE HERO CAMPAIGN FOR DESIGNATED DRIVERS

  Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, each year, tens of thousands of lives are 
lost and millions more are injured in collisions on our Nation's 
highways. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, about 40 percent of all traffic fatalities involve 
alcohol. This preventable behavior continues to impose a terrible toll 
on our families and our Nation.
  To eradicate drunk driving from our roads, we must change our 
Nation's culture around stepping behind the wheel after consuming 
alcohol. A major way to enact this change is to encourage and celebrate 
the role of designated drivers--those who make a commitment to remain 
sober to ensure that the passengers in their vehicle return home safely 
at the end of the night.
  For this reason, I rise today to honor the 15th anniversary of the 
HERO Campaign, which works to create partnerships that encourage and 
support designated drivers.
  The HERO Campaign was created in memory of U.S. Navy ENS John 
Elliott, a New Jersey resident and a graduate of the U.S. Naval 
Academy. Ensign Elliott was an outstanding citizen and Naval cadet. In 
each of his 4 years at Annapolis, Elliott was selected by his peers to 
serve as a human education resource officer, or HERO, to mentor fellow 
members of his company. At graduation, Elliott was honored as the 
outstanding HERO in his class.
  On July 22, 2000, Ensign Elliott was driving to his home in Egg 
Harbor Township, NJ with his girlfriend when his vehicle was struck by 
an oncoming vehicle that crossed into his lane. The driver of that 
vehicle was operating under the influence of alcohol. Along with Ensign 
Elliott, that driver was killed in the collision.
  Shortly after Ensign Elliott's life came to its untimely end, his 
parents, Bill and Muriel Elliott, started the HERO Campaign. The HERO 
Campaign is a non-profit organization that brings together schools, 
professional sports teams, law enforcement, taverns and restaurants, 
and community groups to recognize and encourage designated drivers.
  Since its inception, the HERO Campaign has registered more than 
100,000 designated drivers at sports stadiums, concerts, schools, and 
colleges in 7 States. In New Jersey, the HERO Campaign contributed to a 
35.4 percent decline in alcohol-related driving fatalities in the 
general population and a 65.1 percent decline for those under 21 years 
of age. Truly, the accomplishments of the HERO Campaign are nothing 
less than heroic.
  But their work is not done yet. The ultimate goal of the HERO 
Campaign is to register one million designated drivers across our 
Nation, and to ensure that having a designated driver before stepping 
out for the night becomes as automatic as putting on a seatbelt when 
getting into the car. As Bill Elliott says, the message is simple: 
``Who's your HERO tonight?''
  I can safely say that, to me, Bill and Muriel Elliott and their 
colleagues at the HERO Campaign are my heroes this and every night. I 
commend their accomplishments and support their efforts to save lives 
by helping others realize their heroic potential as designated drivers.

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