What Is RID?
RID is an acronym for Remove Intoxicated Drivers, the national civic organization with which Oak Ridge/Anderson County is associated. The membership of RID is dedicated to:
- collecting information
- raising public awareness
- working with the government
- supporting victims – on the issues of drunk driving
RID does not advocate prohibition, but opposes drinking and driving.
Board Meeting Information
The Remove Intoxicated Drivers Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month in Room 204 of Oak Ridge First United Methodist Church at 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Vistors are welcome.
Be a Friend of RID
RID wants you to be a friend . . . because we care.
A friend is a person who provides support, and someone who is an ally. A friend is someone you can count on. RID is counting on you to be a friend. We are counting on you to support RID’s efforts to remove intoxicated drivers from the highways and the waterways. We invite you, friend, to work with us to achieve our goals. Please contact us to learn what you can do.
RID welcomes friends who will make financial contributions, no matter how small. RID depends exclusively on contributions for financial support.
RID is an all-volunteer organization and RID is counting on you. Just as RID is committed.
Because we care, too.
Please send your contribution to RID, P.O. Box 4863, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-4863
Court Watch
What Is a Court Watch?
Our courts are busy; drunk driving charges are common. With 30 or more court sessions each month, details about repeat offenders, side bar deals, and trends in sentencing are often lost. Public awareness of trends in our legal system is important if continued improvements are to be made in protecting the driving public from drunk drivers.
The court watcher is a volunteer who attends one or more sessions each month to report the proceedings to the RID organization. The court watcher does not have to be a legal expert. He or she simply records the docket numbers, the names of the participants, the charges, and verdict or action. These data are reported to RID for analysis. Based on the results, RID is in a position to make suggestions to and exchange ideas with law enforcement officers and state legislators.
One prosecutor commented that the Court Watch Program is a boost to the effective prosecution of drunk drivers.
Court watching can be very interesting and rewarding. For some, court watch will be a real eye-opener. Simply watching the proceedings—the judicial system in action—can be an educational experience.
Information gathered by court watchers is also shared with others in news articles and by members of the RID Speakers’ Bureau. The increased public awareness of the toll drunken drivers inflict on society is in no small measure reflective of the outstanding work performed by RID Court Watchers!
Did You Know That…
- Each year, drunk drivers in America kill about 17,000 people? It took worldwide airline crashes 20 years to approximate this carnage.
- Fifty-four percent of all traffic fatalities on Super Bowl Sunday were alcohol-related? No other holiday has such a high percentage.
- More than 300,000 people lost their lives in alcohol-related traffic crashes during a 13-year period from 1982 to 1995; whereas 58,000 military personnel died or were declared missing in action during the 15-year Vietnam War.
Defend your right to drive on any highway without being threatened.
Be a court watcher, now!
How to Become a Court Watcher
If you can spare four or more hours a month to help make our community a safer place to live, then contact a RID chapter member. The address, e-mail, and phone number are below.
There is no obligation for you to learn more about the service. If you agree to serve, you will be given a short training session and can begin your service with an experienced watcher.
Give us a call now and learn how you can help.
W. Kelly Dagenhart, President
110 Newton Lane
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
(865) 483-8801