ACR 52, as amended, 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.
P2 1WHEREAS, A 2013 statewide traffic safety survey conducted
2by the California Office of Traffic Safety reported that more than
336 percent of Californians surveyed thought texting or talking on
4a cell phone while driving posed the biggest safety problem on
5California roadways; and
6WHEREAS, Distracted driving is defined as any activity that
7could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of
8driving; and
9WHEREAS, Distracted driving takes three primary forms:
10(a) Visual distraction: tasks that require the driver to look away
11from the roadway to visually obtain information.
12(b) Manual distraction: tasks that require the driver to take a
13hand off the steering wheel and manipulate a device.
14(c) Cognitive distraction: tasks that are defined as the mental
15workload associated with a task that involves thinking about
16something other than the task of driving; and
17WHEREAS, In 2013, nearly 70 percent of the California drivers
18surveyed said they had been hit or nearly hit by a driver who was
19talking or texting on a cell phone; and
20WHEREAS, In 2013, 45 percent of the drivers surveyed said
21they have made a driving mistake while talking on a cell phone;
22and
23WHEREAS, In 2013, nearly 48 percent of the drivers surveyed
24said that texting while driving is the most serious distraction for
25drivers; and
26WHEREAS, A 2012 nationwide survey conducted by the
27National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that, in
28any given daylight moment across the United States, of the 212
29million licensed drivers, about 600,000 are using cell phones or
30manipulating electronic devices while driving; and
31WHEREAS, In 2012, 3,328 people were killed and 421,000
32were injured in distraction-affected crashes; and
33WHEREAS, To read or type the average text takes 4.6 seconds.
34Just three seconds of texting while driving at 65 mph is equal to
35driving 100 yards, equal to the length of a football field,
36blindfolded; and
37WHEREAS, Engaging in visual-manual subtasks, such as
38reaching for a phone, dialing, and texting, associated with the use
39of handheld phones and other portable devices increased the risk
40of getting into a crash by three times; and
P3 1WHEREAS, Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse
2than driving while not distracted; and
3WHEREAS, According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
4Administration, only about 1 out of 5 young drivers think that
5texting makes no difference to their driving performance.
6Sixty-eight percent of young drivers 18 to 20 years of age are
7willing to answer incoming phone calls on some, most, or all
8driving trips; and
9WHEREAS, Parents who engage in distracting behaviors while
10driving more frequently have teens who do the same. According
11to a 2012 teen driver distraction study conducted jointly by the
12University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and
13Toyota, teens send or read text messages once a trip 26 times more
14often than their parents think they do; now, therefore, be it
15Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
16thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims April 2015 as
17Distracted Driving Awareness Month and calls upon residents,
18government agencies, business leaders, hospitals, schools, and
19public and private institutions within the state to promote awareness
20of the distracted driving problem and to support programs and
21policies to reduce the incidence of distracted driving in California
22and nationwide; and be it further
23Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
24of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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