AADD closes out successful year

As Armedforces Against Drunk Driving enters its fourth year of operations in the KMC, calls are down, efficiency is up and the outfit is now truly a joint operation.

“It’s been interesting to watch (this organization) grow,” said Tech. Sgt. Maria Takeshita, AADD president. “When AADD began, we weren’t well known and often had to close because of a lack of volunteers.”

The organization, which tallied more than 2,000 lives saved in 2006, is an option for KMC servicemembers who are unable to drive home after drinking.

“We should be a last resort, but we’re happy to pick anyone up who absolutely needs us,” said Sergeant Takeshita. She believes the downward trend of calls reflects people who are making appropriate plans.

New additions to the AADD team not only include Army, Navy and Marine volunteers, but three GPS systems donated by the 86th Airlift Wing.

“In the past, people have been hesitant to volunteer because they didn’t know their way around,” Sergeant Takeshita said. “With the GPS, we’ve programmed in common pickup areas for a quicker response time.”

Those who wish to utilize AADD on the weekends should be familiar with the rules and know what information to provide to expedite their trip.

• Caller must have a car
• The caller must be the owner of the vehicle, or calling on the owner’s behalf
• If the insurance policy on the car is for adults 25 or older, that must be
   identified when AADD is called so appropriate-aged drivers can be dispatched
• Callers must identify if the passengers will be all female or all male, so a
   same-sex driver can be dispatched
• Car must be in drivable condition – because if the car is pulled over, the
   driver, not the owner, of the vehicle will be ticketed
• AADD drivers will not take more people than there are seatbelts for in the
   vehicle
• AADD drivers will drive from a pickup location to a residence, not bar to bar
• AADD drivers will typically take groups  from the pickup location to a single
   residence; however, it is up to the driver whether they will take groups to
   individual residences
• Calllers must have the address of the pick-up location at hand when calling
   AADD

AADD operates Friday and Saturday nights, from midnight to 6 a.m. For more information, e-mail KMC.AADD@ramstein.af.mil.