ACR 140, as amended, Obernolte. Don’t Text and Drive Day.
This measure would proclaim April 27, 2016, as Don’t Text and Drive Day, and would call upon individuals, government agencies, and schools, among others, to promote awareness of the problem of texting and driving and to support programs and policies that reduce the incidence of texting while driving in California and nationwide.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, Texting while driving poses a significant risk to
2drivers and those around them; and
3WHEREAS, In 2008, the Legislature passed Senate Bill No.
428, which prohibits drivers from operating a motor vehicle while
5using a wireless device to send text messages; and
6WHEREAS, In California, it is unlawful to write, send, or read
7a text message while driving, without using voice-operated and
8hands-free technology; and
9WHEREAS, The National Safety Council estimates that over
10340,000, or 6 percent, of all car crashes in 2013 involved text
11messaging; and
P2 1WHEREAS, According to the Virginia Tech Transportation
2Institute, texting while driving is six times more likely to result in
3an accident than driving while intoxicated; and
4WHEREAS, In a 2011 study by the federal Centers for Disease
5Control and Prevention, 31.2 percent of United States drivers 18
6to 64, inclusive, years of age reported that they had read or sent
7text or email messages while driving at least once in the past 30
8days; and
9WHEREAS, Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes
10from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent, at 55
11miles per hour, of driving the length of an entire football field,
12blind; and
13WHEREAS, In response to a 2013 California Office of Traffic
14Safety survey, more than 36 percent of Californians surveyed
15thought texting or talking on a cell phone while driving posed the
16biggest safety problem on California roadways; and
17WHEREAS, Nearly 70 percent of California drivers surveyed
18said they had been hit or nearly hit by a driver who was talking or
19texting on a cell phone; and
20WHEREAS, Nearly 48 percent of Californians surveyed said
21that texting while driving is the most serious distraction for drivers;
22and
23WHEREAS, According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
24Administration, text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse
25than driving while not distracted; and
26WHEREAS, As of December 2013, 153.3 billion text messages
27were sent in the United States every month, according to CTIA -
28The Wireless Association; and
29WHEREAS, As reported in a 2012 National Highway Traffic
30Safety Administration survey, at any given daylight moment across
31America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or
32manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has
33held steady since 2010; and
34WHEREAS, According to a University of Michigan
35Transportation Research Institute study, about 25 percent of
36teenagers respond to a text message once or more every time they
37drive, and additionally, 20 percent of teenagers and 10 percent of
38parents admitted to having an extended multimessage texting
39conversation while driving. Furthermore, the study reported that
40parents who more frequently engaged in distracted driving
P3 1behaviors had teenagers who engaged in distracted driving
2behaviors more frequently than other young drivers; now, therefore,
3be it
4Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
5thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims April 27, 2016,
6as Don’t Text and Drive Day, and calls upon individuals,
7government agencies, business leaders, hospitals, schools, and
8public and private institutions within the state to promote awareness
9of the problem of texting and driving and to support programs and
10policies that reduce the incidence of texting while driving in
11California and nationwide; and be it further
12Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
13of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
O
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