ACR 137, as introduced, Frazier. Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
This measure would proclaim April 2014 to be Distracted Driving Awareness Month and would call upon all 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.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, According to a recent National Motor Vehicle
2Crash Causation Survey, 80 percent of all traffic incidents and 65
3percent of all near-crashes involve some type of distraction; and
4WHEREAS, Seventy-five percent of all fatal teen collisions are
5thought to be caused by reckless and distracted driving; and
6WHEREAS, Fatal accidents caused by cellular telephone usage
7are severely underreported; and
8WHEREAS, Every year, thousands of people are killed in
9automobile crashes where a driver was thought to be distracted;
10and
P2 1WHEREAS, There is a clear lack of understanding of the scope
2of the distracted driving problem and what actually constitutes
3distracted driving among the public. Steps should be taken
4immediately to educate the public about these issues without delay;
5and
6WHEREAS, Distracted driving is defined as when the operator
7of a motor vehicle continues to use his or her hand-held or
8hands-free cellular telephone while driving; and
9WHEREAS, The evidence is clear that drivers utilizing so-called
10“hands-free” devices are just as distracted as those texting and
11calling with hand-held phones; and
12WHEREAS, As mobile devices become more a part of everyday
13life, the potential for increased carnage caused by distracted driving
14will only increase. Therefore, public education campaigns such as
15those provided by the National Safety Council are critical to ensure
16public safety; and
17WHEREAS, This Legislature should examine strategies to
18provide a more accurate picture of the scope of this tragedy
19statewide; now, therefore, be it
20Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
21thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims the month of
22April 2014 to be Distracted Driving Awareness Month and calls
23upon all residents, government agencies, business leaders,
24hospitals, schools, and public and private institutions within the
25state to promote awareness of the distracted driving problem and
26to support programs and policies to reduce the incidence of
27distracted driving in California and nationwide.
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