SR0749 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate recognize drowsy driving as a public health threat to the residents of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death of young people in the U.S., taking the lives of at least 5,600 teens each year, and sleep-related crashes are most common in young people, who tend to stay up late, sleep too little, and drive at night; and

WHEREAS, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at least 100,000 police-reported crashes each year are the direct result of driver fatigue; and

WHEREAS, Signs of drowsy driving include frequent yawning or being unable to keep your eyes open, daydreaming or having wandering and disconnected thoughts, not remembering driving, ending up too close to cars in front of you, catching yourself nodding off and having trouble keeping your head up, missing road signs or driving past your turn or exit, and driving into another lane of traffic or onto the rumble strip or shoulder of the road; and

WHEREAS, Just like drugs or alcohol, sleep loss or fatigue impairs driving skills such as hand-eye coordination, reaction time, vision, awareness of surroundings, decision making, judgment, and inhibition, which can be fatal when driving; and

WHEREAS, According to the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep in America poll, 60% of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy, and 37% admit to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year; and

WHEREAS, Countermeasures to prevent a fall-asleep crash while driving include driver awareness of warning signs of drowsy driving, driver decision to stop driving when warning signs of fatigue arise and find a safe place to take a 15-20 minute nap and consume caffeine, driver decision to limit traveling long distances alone, and driver decision to let a passenger take over the driving; and

WHEREAS, Public awareness and education campaigns on drowsy driving and ways to avoid drowsy driving will reduce preventable deaths in Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare November 3-10, 2019 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That all residents of Illinois are encouraged to become familiar with the signs of drowsy driving and take steps to avoid drowsy driving; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Secretary of State's office and the Illinois Department of Transportation are encouraged to promote safety on Illinois roads by publicizing resources by the National Sleep Foundation during Drowsy Driving Prevention Week 2019 on its website and other electronic platforms widely accessible to Illinois residents.