When someone is killed by impaired driving, drug poisoning, or reckless behavior, it is not an accident, it is a preventable act that deserves truth, accuracy, recognition, and clarity.
The Not an Accident Campaign (NAC) is a national alliance dedicated to reforming how coroners, medical examiners, and public agencies classify preventable deaths. We work to ensure that official records, public policies, and media reporting reflect the real cause, not a misleading or arbitrary label.
Our Mission
To secure truth, transparency, precision, and justice in the classification of preventable deaths.
Our Vision
A world where no life taken due to reckless or criminal actions of another is mislabeled as accident.
A justice system that tells the truth and acts on it.
A society that honors every victim with honesty, dignity, and change.
Our Founders
Candace Lightner
Victim Advocate
Co-Founder NAC
Campaign & Strategy Director
As the founder of We Save Lives and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Candace Lightner is credited with transforming national attitudes toward drunk driving and saving over 475,000 lives. She has spearheaded numerous campaigns, including “Crash vs. Accident,” National Passenger Safety Week, and #ButNotWhileDriving.
Candace is a prolific writer, contributing articles to major publications and co-authoring the book Giving Sorrow Words: How to Cope with Grief and Get On with Your Life (Warner Books). Her story was the subject of the Emmy-nominated television movie Mothers Against Drunk Drivers: The Candy Lightner Story. Additionally, she serves as the executive producer for several impactful videos and PSAs.
A prominent advocate, Candace teaches victims and survivors how to seek justice in court. Her remarkable ability to empower individuals to overcome grief and effect change in their communities has earned her national recognition as a champion for victims’ rights.
Matt Capelouto
Victim Advocate
Co-Founder NAC
Campaign Director
Driven by the loss of his daughter, Alexandra, to a counterfeit fentanyl-laced pill, Matt has become a leading voice in the fight against illegal drugs and counterfeit pills. He works closely with lawmakers, prosecutors, and families to advance legal reforms, improve warnings to offenders, and strengthen tools that protect communities from repeat drug dealers.
A tireless advocate, Matt educates families on navigating the justice system and empowers survivors to demand truth, accountability, and systemic change. His work has brought national attention to the devastating consequences of drug poisoning and has positioned him as a respected leader in the victims’ rights and drug-policy reform movements.
Featured On
Latest News
These deaths were not accidents, and the world should know it
By Teri Sforza | tsforza@scng.com | Orange County Register PUBLISHED: April 6, 2026 at 7:00 AM PDT | UPDATED: April 6, 2026 at 5:44 PM PDT Her death certificate lists the cause as accidental, but her dad rejects that with every fiber of his being. He says Alexandra...
‘Not An Accident’ Bill Advances in Senate Committee on 9-0 Vote
These deaths are not ‘accidents’ By Eric Eisenhammer, April 13, 2026 5:00 am Victims’ families, advocates, and lawmakers gathered Wednesday at the California State Capitol to support Senate Bill 1071, as families testified that their loved ones were killed in impaired...
The Other Side: Call it what it was
By Kelvin Wade April 15, 2026 Last Wednesday, former Fairfield resident and Mothers Against Drunk Driving and We Save Lives founder Candace Lightner took part in a press conference at the State Capitol along with a bipartisan group of state senators and parents...
The Not an Accident Campaign
We challenge the language that hides responsibility.
We educate the public, the media, and policymakers that these tragedies are not accidents. They are the result of criminal and preventable choices made with full awareness of their risks and a complete disregard for human life. They are not accidents. They are homicides!
A common misconception is that homicide requires intent. Under criminal law, it does not. Reckless behavior or a callous disregard for human life can also constitute homicide. That is why the law recognizes different degrees such as first degree, second degree, and manslaughter, each reflecting a different level of intent and responsibility.
Even the Merriam-Webster definition of homicide is simple: “The killing of one human being by another.”
Why coroners and medical examiners have chosen to redefine it, ignoring the realities of criminal conduct, remains deeply troubling.
They continue to rely on classification constructs first implemented in 1910, never updated, lacking research validity, and producing outcome data that misrepresents the true nature of preventable deaths.
Labeling these deaths as “accidents” is not only inaccurate and arbitrary, but also an injustice to victims and their families, whose loved ones were taken by the criminal behavior of another person.
People killed by impaired drivers still have their deaths classified as accidents, even in cases involving repeat offenders or Watson murders, where the drivers had already acknowledged and understood the lethal risk of their actions.
This effort will not be easy, but meaningful change rarely is.
The Petition
Join us in the Not an Accident Campaign to challenge the language that hides responsibility. By signing this petition, we urge coroners, medical examiners, and public agencies to:
- Classify preventable deaths accurately as homicides not accidents.
- Advocate for changes in public policy that reflect the true nature of these tragedies.
- Educate the public about the choices that lead to these preventable deaths.
- Thoroughly examine and assess the circumstances surrounding these fatalities.
Our Coalition
Justice for Victims
Every story has the power to expose the realities of these issues and inspire change.
