BILL NUMBER: SCR 27	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 4, 2005
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MARCH 2, 2005

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Dunn
    (Coauthors: Assembly Members   Aghazarian  
,   Arambula   ,   Bass   ,
  Benoit   ,   Berg   , 
 Bermudez   ,   Blakeslee   , 
 Bogh   ,   Calderon, Chan,   Chu
  ,   Cogdill   ,   Cohn 
 ,   Coto   ,   Daucher   ,
  De La Torre   ,   DeVore   ,
  Dymally   ,   Evans   , 
 Frommer   , Garcia, Houston   ,  
Huff   ,   Jones   ,   Karnette
  ,   Keene   ,   Koretz 
 ,   La Malfa   ,   Laird   ,
 Leno   ,   Leslie   , 
 Levine   ,   Montanez   ,  
Nakanishi   ,   Nava   ,  
Negrete McLeod   ,   Niello   ,  
Nunez   ,   Parra   ,   Pavley
  ,   Plescia   ,   Richman 
 Sharon Runner   ,   Ruskin   , 
 Saldana   ,   Salinas   ,  
Spitzer   ,   Strickland   ,  
Torrico   ,   Tran   ,   Umberg
  ,   Vargas   ,   and  
Yee) 

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2005

   Relative to drowsy driver awareness day.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 27, as amended, Dunn.  Drowsy Driver Awareness Day.
   This measure would proclaim April 6, 2005, as Drowsy Driver
Awareness Day, request the Governor to make a similar proclamation,
and designate the states observance of April 6 of the following years
as a memorial day for those people who have died as a result of a
collision involving a drowsy driver.
   Fiscal committee: no.




   WHEREAS, From 1993 to 2003, according to statistics compiled by
the Department of the California Highway Patrol, approximately 100
people were killed each year in California in collisions where a
drowsy driver was involved; and
   WHEREAS, In that 10-year period, 41,228 people have been injured
in California in collisions where a drowsy driver was involved; and
   WHEREAS, In that 10-year period, there were 28,533 collisions
involving a drowsy driver where no one was injured, but significant
property damage occurred; and
   WHEREAS, All of these fatalities, injuries, and property damage
could have been avoided; and
   WHEREAS, A 1999 poll by the National Sleep Foundation discovered
that 62 percent of all adults surveyed reported driving a car or
other motor vehicle while feeling drowsy in the prior year; and
   WHEREAS, The same poll revealed that 27 percent of the adults
reported that they had, at some time, dozed off while driving; and
   WHEREAS, This poll also found that 23 percent of adults stated
that they know someone who experienced a fall-asleep crash within the
past year; and
   WHEREAS, The United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) estimates that approximately 100,000
police-reported crashes annually, that is about 1.5 percent of all
crashes, involve drowsiness or fatigue as a principal causal factor;
and
   WHEREAS, At least 71,000 people are injured in fall-asleep crashes
each year; and, NHTSA estimates these crashes represent $12,500,000
in monetary losses each year; and
   WHEREAS, Many more people die each year from crashes related to
drowsy, sleepy, or fatigued drivers than from many serious illnesses;
and
   WHEREAS, Many California residents die each year, including Robyn
Meryl Amsel Mellon Konstantin, who died in a collision on April 6,
1999, while driving when she was drowsy; and
   WHEREAS, This problem can affect every person who operates or
rides in a motor vehicle, or who walks, stands, or sits near a
roadway; and
   WHEREAS, This problem can be solved by making drivers aware of the
risks of driving without adequate rest; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That April 6, 2005, is hereby proclaimed by the
Legislature as Drowsy Driver Awareness Day and be it further
   Resolved, That the Governor is requested to make a similar
proclamation; and be it further
   Resolved, That this measure be adopted with urgency as this April
6th marks the sixth anniversary of the death of California resident
Robyn Meryl Amsel Mellon Konstantin who died in 1999 on that date;
and be it further
   Resolved, That April 6th of every year after this resolution is
enacted be designated as a memorial day to observe the importance of
educating the public on drowsy driving, and to remember those
thousands of Californians who have died in collisions related to
drowsy driving; and be it further
   Resolved, That the observance of Drowsy Driver Awareness Day
emphasize the preventability of all crashes related to drowsy
driving; and be it further

   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit a copy of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution and to the
Governor.