Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 211
CHAPTER 54
Relative to distracted driving.
[
Filed with
Secretary of State
May 01, 2018.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 211, Frazier.
Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
This measure would proclaim April 2018 as Distracted Driving Awareness Month in California and call for awareness of the distracted driving problem and support for programs and policies to reduce the incidence of distracted driving.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee:
NO WHEREAS, A 2016 statewide traffic safety survey conducted by the California Office of Traffic Safety reported that 45.5 percent of Californians surveyed thought texting or talking on a cell phone while driving posed the biggest safety problem on California roadways; and
WHEREAS, Distracted driving is defined as any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving; and
WHEREAS, Distracted driving takes three primary forms:
(a) Visual distraction: tasks that require the driver to look away from the roadway to visually obtain information.
(b) Manual distraction: tasks that require the driver to take a hand off the steering wheel and manipulate a device.
(c) Cognitive distraction: tasks that are defined as the mental workload associated with a task that involves thinking about something other than the task of driving; and
WHEREAS, In 2016, more than 54 percent of the California drivers surveyed said they had been hit or nearly hit by a driver who was talking or texting on a cell phone; and
WHEREAS, In 2016, nearly 44 percent of the drivers surveyed said they have made a driving mistake while talking on a cell phone; and
WHEREAS, In 2016, more than 44 percent of the drivers surveyed said that texting while driving is the most serious distraction for drivers; and
WHEREAS, A 2012 nationwide survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that, in any given daylight moment across the United States, of the 212 million licensed drivers, about 600,000 are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving; and
WHEREAS, In 2015, 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 were injured nationwide in distraction-affected crashes, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety; and
WHEREAS, To read or type the average text takes 4.6 seconds. Just three seconds of texting while driving at 65 mph is equal to driving 100 yards, equal to the length of a football field, blindfolded; and
WHEREAS, Engaging in visual-manual subtasks, such as reaching for a phone, dialing, and texting, associated with the use of handheld phones and other portable devices increased the risk of getting into a crash by three times; and
WHEREAS, Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only about one out of five young drivers think that texting makes no difference to their driving performance. Sixty-eight percent of young drivers 18 to 20 years of age are willing to answer incoming phone calls on some, most, or all driving trips; and
WHEREAS, Parents who engage in distracting behaviors while driving more frequently have teens who do the same. According to a 2012 teen driver distraction study conducted jointly by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Toyota, teens send or read text messages once a trip 26 times more often than their parents think they do; and
WHEREAS, Resolution Chapter 10 of the Statutes of 2012 (Senate Concurrent Resolution 60) declared the first week in April as California Teen Safe Driving Week to coincide with the observation of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This year, California Teen Safe Driving Week was observed from April 2, 2018, to April 8, 2018, inclusive; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims April 2018 as Distracted Driving Awareness Month in California and calls upon all Californians 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; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.