As one of Southwest Florida’s longest-practicing personal injury law firms, Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice, Purtz, Smith & Smith knows all about the dangers of drunk driving, and as community leaders, we are working to do our part to save lives.
For the ninth year, we are honored to be the title sponsor of the Move With MADD Fort Myers 5K, planned for May 16 at JetBlue Park at Fenway South.
The Move With MADD Fort Myers 5K is Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s signature fundraising event to raise awareness and funds to end impaired driving.
Both personally and professionally, we are passionate about the work MADD does. Firm Co-Managing Partner Christopher Smith has led the firm’s fundraising efforts for the walk. Both Christopher and I have lost family members to drunk drivers. In fact, Christopher was named after a family member who was killed by an impaired driver.
Drunk driving changes lives
Every day, families receive phone calls that change their lives forever: A loved one has been injured or killed by a drunk driver. The data is real. More than 800,000 people are arrested annually for drunk driving. The tragedies are mind-numbing. More than 50,000 people have been killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the United States in this decade alone.
Data from Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shows there were 4,333 alcohol-impaired crashes in the state in 2025. Those crashes caused 171 fatalities and nearly 2,500 injuries.
For decades, law enforcement, parents, teachers and friends have warned about drinking and driving and the consequences that follow. Although there was a decrease in drunk driving fatalities in the early 2000s, deaths caused by drunk drivers have steadily increased since 2020. According to some research, this is due to pandemic-related stress, increased alcohol consumption and reduced traffic enforcement.
Even as these numbers rise, we remain hopeful. When communities come together with shared purpose, real change becomes possible. Through compassion, accountability and collective action, we have the power to reverse this dangerous trend. Each step we take honors the lives lost, strengthens our commitment to one another and helps protect the people and futures we cherish most.
How to take part
Once again, I invite you to join us for this incredible event on Saturday, May 16, 7:30 a.m. at JetBlue Park at Fenway South – bringing together families, advocates and community leaders who share a commitment to safer roads.
Every step taken at Move With MADD represents a stand against preventable tragedy and a show of support for victims and survivors whose lives have been forever changed. Community members are encouraged to participate, donate or simply help spread the message that impaired driving is never acceptable. For more information or to sign up to participate or support a team visit runsignup.com.
Andrea Smith is co-managing Partner of Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice, Purtz, Smith & Smith. She specializes in personal injury, wrongful death, motor vehicle accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, slip/trip and falls. For over 60 years, Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice, Purtz, Smith & Smith, P.A. has proudly served residents of Southwest Florida.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Mothers Against Drunk Driving 5K to raise funds, awareness | Opinion
Reporting by Andrea Smith / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
