BILL NUMBER: ACR 52	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Frazier

                        MARCH 26, 2015

   Relative to distracted driving.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 52, as introduced, Frazier. Distracted Driving Awareness Month

   This measure would proclaim April 2015 as Distracted Driving
Awareness Month and call for awareness of the distracted driving
problem and support for programs and policies to reduce the incidence
of distracted driving.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, A 2013 statewide traffic safety survey conducted by the
California Office of Traffic Safety, reported that more than 36
percent of Californians surveyed thought texting or talking on a cell
phone while driving posed the biggest safety problem on California
roadways; and
   WHEREAS, In 2013, nearly 70 percent of the California drivers
surveyed said they had been hit or nearly hit by a driver who was
talking or texting on a cell phone; and
   WHEREAS, In 2013, 45 percent of the drivers surveyed said they
have made a driving mistake while talking on a cell phone; and
   WHEREAS, In 2013, nearly 48 percent of the drivers surveyed said
that texting while driving is the most serious distraction for
drivers; and
   WHEREAS, A 2012 statewide observational survey of cell phone use
by California drivers, showed that 7.4 percent of drivers were using
cell phones at any given time during daylight hours; and
   WHEREAS, In 2012, 3,328 people were killed and 421,000 were
injured in distraction-affected crashes; and
   WHEREAS, To read or type the average text takes 4.6 seconds. Just
three seconds of texting while driving at 65 mph is equal to driving
100 yards, equal to the length of a football field, blindfolded; and
   WHEREAS, Engaging in visual-manual subtasks, such as reaching for
a phone, dialing, and texting, associated with the use of handheld
phones and other portable devices increased the risk of getting into
a crash by three times; and
   WHEREAS, Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than
driving while not distracted; and
   WHEREAS, According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, only about 1 out of 5 young drivers think that
texting makes no difference to their driving performance. Sixty-eight
percent of young drivers 18 to 20 years of age are willing to answer
incoming phone calls on some, most, or all driving trips; and
   WHEREAS, Parents who engage in distracting behaviors while driving
more frequently have teens who do the same. According to a 2012 teen
driver distraction study conducted jointly by the University of
Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Toyota, teens send or
read text messages once a trip 26 times more often than their parents
think they do; now, therefore be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims April 2015 as
Distracted Driving Awareness Month and calls upon 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; and be if further.
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.