BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2099
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 19, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
AB 2099 (Miller) - As Introduced: February 18, 2010
SUBJECT : Driver's handbook
SUMMARY : Requires the California Driver's Handbook, when next
revised or reprinted by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV),
to refer drivers to the website for JourneySafe.com.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires DMV to publish a synopsis or summary of the laws
regulating the operation of vehicles and the use of the
highways and authorizes it to deliver a free copy with each
original vehicle registration and with each original driver's
license.
2)Requires that handbook to refer to rail transit safety, the
dumping of animals on the highway, and respecting the
right-of-way of others.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : The author notes that approximately 35,000 teens have
died in the past 5 years in automobile accidents. It is his
hope that by directing teens to the JourneySafe website, young
drivers can gain an appreciation of the dangers involved in
operating an automobile. JourneySafe is a Laguna Beach-based
outreach program of the Gillilan Sabet Memorial Foundation, a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization. According to its website,
JourneySafe offers presentations and workshops throughout the
year. It was established by the family and friends of two
teenagers who lost their lives in a 2005 single vehicle
automobile crash in which a young driver looked away from the
road searching for a pack of gum, then panicked and lost control
of the car.
It is well-established that accident rates among new drivers,
especially those who are young, are disproportionately high.
This danger is reflected in the fact that California, as well as
most other states, has a graduated driver's license program,
whereby young drivers face many restrictions on their driving
AB 2099
Page 2
privileges during the early years of their licensure. Despite
that program, teen accident rates remain tragically high.
Drawing a prospective driver's attention to an awareness program
such as JourneySafe could conceivably make a critical difference
in that person's behavior behind the wheel.
The DMV handbook, however, can only reasonably be expected to
contain a limited amount of information and still be effective.
The Legislature has already enacted three specific mandates, as
described in #2 above, for inclusion in the handbook.
Additionally, having a statutory requirement to promote a
specific website could tie DMV's hands in the event that the
referenced website eventually contains a message that DMV finds
to be objectionable. Rather than adding yet another new
mandate, it might be preferable to allow DMV the flexibility to
exercise its professional judgment as to what information should
be in the handbook and what, for reasons of space or content,
should not.
Author's amendment : The author notes that this bill erroneously
references JourneySafe.com rather than JourneySafe.org. He
proposes to amend the bill to correct that reference.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Motorcycle Dealers Association
Gillian Sabet Memorial Foundation/JourneySafe Outreach program
Opposition
None received
Analysis Prepared by : Howard Posner / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093