BILL NUMBER: ACR 137	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Frazier

                        APRIL 21, 2014

   Relative to Distracted Driving Awareness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 137, as introduced, Frazier. Distracted Driving Awareness
Month.
   This measure would proclaim April 2014 to be Distracted Driving
Awareness Month and would call upon all residents, government
agencies, business leaders, hospitals, schools, and public and
private institutions within the state to promote awareness of the
distracted driving problem and to support programs and policies to
reduce the incidence of distracted driving in California and
nationwide.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, According to a recent National Motor Vehicle Crash
Causation Survey, 80 percent of all traffic incidents and 65 percent
of all near-crashes involve some type of distraction; and
   WHEREAS, Seventy-five percent of all fatal teen collisions are
thought to be caused by reckless and distracted driving; and
   WHEREAS, Fatal accidents caused by cellular telephone usage are
severely underreported; and
   WHEREAS, Every year, thousands of people are killed in automobile
crashes where a driver was thought to be distracted; and
   WHEREAS, There is a clear lack of understanding of the scope of
the distracted driving problem and what actually constitutes
distracted driving among the public. Steps should be taken
immediately to educate the public about these issues without delay;
and
   WHEREAS, Distracted driving is defined as when the operator of a
motor vehicle continues to use his or her hand-held or hands-free
cellular telephone while driving; and
   WHEREAS, The evidence is clear that drivers utilizing so-called
"hands-free" devices are just as distracted as those texting and
calling with hand-held phones; and
   WHEREAS, As mobile devices become more a part of everyday life,
the potential for increased carnage caused by distracted driving will
only increase. Therefore, public education campaigns such as those
provided by the National Safety Council are critical to ensure public
safety; and
   WHEREAS, This Legislature should examine strategies to provide a
more accurate picture of the scope of this tragedy statewide; now,
therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims the month of April
2014 to be Distracted Driving Awareness Month and calls upon all
residents, government agencies, business leaders, hospitals, schools,
and public and private institutions within the state to promote
awareness of the distracted driving problem and to support programs
and policies to reduce the incidence of distracted driving in
California and nationwide.