BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Mothers Against Drunk Driving will host its 13th annual Move with MADD event Saturday at The Park at Riverwalk, with a ceremony beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The event draws hundreds of people each fall to remember those impacted by impaired driving and raise awareness about a problem that continues to affect Kern County.
Chris Hagan, a partner at Chain, Cohn, Clark, said the firm represents victims of DUI crashes and that the problem has only grown worse in recent years.
"Things have changed with respect to impaired driving, they've just gotten worse," Hagan said.
Nearly three years ago, a drunk driver hit several people waiting to watch the Bakersfield Christmas Parade. Two years ago, an impaired driver drove into a CHP checkpoint that was being set up, injuring one officer and two juvenile explorers.
"I'm talking about impaired driving related accidents... unfortunately when I talk about it getting worse, it's not the arrests, it's the DUI related accidents," Hagan said.
In August 2025, I witnessed the impact firsthand during a ride-along with BPD Lt. Mitch Galland, as we located a hit-and-run suspect who was arrested for DUI.
Last year alone, the Bakersfield Police Department recorded nearly 800 DUI arrests, 443 crashes and 14 DUI fatalities. The CHP Bakersfield Division added more than 2,200 arrests and 27 fatalities. The District Attorney's Office is prosecuting more than 1,600 misdemeanor DUIs and over 70 DUI felonies.
"I would love the opportunity to come talk to those people and explain to them what these families go through," Hagan said.
Hagan said preventing crashes does not require new technology or a complicated solution.
"We all have phones in our pocket. We all have Uber, we have Lyft. It's just so easy to push the button and have somebody come pick you up," Hagan said.
He said the community needs to continue talking about the consequences of impaired driving, while his firm continues petitioning for increased penalties for DUI-related accidents.
Organizers are encouraging people to come out Saturday, remember those affected by DUI crashes and help spread the message that impaired driving is preventable.
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