BILL ANALYSIS
AB 882
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 13, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 882 (Fuller) - As Amended: May 4, 2009
Policy Committee:
TransportationVote:12-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires Caltrans, upon request of an immediate family
member or another individual, to erect signs in memory of a
relative lost in a vehicular accident. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires Caltrans, to design, construct, place, and maintain
along state highways, signs reading, "Please Drive Safely"
followed by "In Memory of (victim's name)."
2)Defines "victims" to mean a person who was killed in a
vehicular accident unrelated to drugs or alcohol.
3)Allows the placement of the signs along state highways at or
near the sites of the fatal accidents, if it is safe and
practical to do so.
4)Limits the number of signs placed pursuant to the above to 20
in each calendar year.
5)Requires payment by the party requesting the sign to cover
sign costs and administrative fees. Requires the sign to
remain posted for seven years or until it is determined that
the sign is no longer serviceable, whichever date is first.
AB 882
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FISCAL EFFECT
Minor annual cost to Caltrans, fully offset by those requesting
the installation of memorial signs.
(In 2007, there were 1,494 fatal collisions on state highways of
which 1,160 were unrelated to the influence of alcohol.
Caltrans estimates the average cost of each sign to be
$1,000--$630 for administration and labor, $236 for the signs,
and $134 for equipment, posts, and hardware.)
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . According to the author, fatal accidents sites on
state highway often become unofficial memorials to their
victims. Although grieving family members often create
memorials that include flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals,
they are quickly removed by Caltrans since it is unlawful to
place such items along a highway.
The author believes memorial signs can help families of victims
through the grieving process. The author seeks to build on the
success of the existing victim memorial sign program in place
since 2002.
2)The current memorial sign program , established by AB 965
(Mountjoy)/Chapter 864 of 2001, allows any victims of
accidents involving drunk driving or driving under the
influence of drugs (except for the intoxicated driver
themselves) to be memorialized. This program applies to
accidents in which the at-fault driver was convicted of
second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter, or
vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Caltrans, which was required to provide an evaluation of the
program by January 1, 2006, reported that 29 signs had been
installed on state highways in 16 counties. The report also
noted that the number of alcohol-involved fatalities decreased
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from 789 to 710 during the three-year periods preceding and
following enactment, although it could not be ascertained to
what extent this reduction was related to the memorial sign
program.
Caltrans also indicted it had not observed a reduction in
makeshift memorials despite the program being created in part
to reduce such unauthorized roadside memorials. Despites such
findings, Caltrans endorsed and extended the program
indefinitely, citing benefits to victims' families, local
communities, and the state for little cost and effort.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081