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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate recognize
3drowsy driving as a public health threat to the residents of
4Illinois; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death of
6young people in the U.S., taking the lives of at least 5,600
7teens each year, and sleep-related crashes are most common in
8young people, who tend to stay up late, sleep too little, and
9drive at night; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The National Highway Traffic Safety
11Administration estimates that at least 100,000 police-reported
12crashes each year are the direct result of driver fatigue; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Signs of drowsy driving include frequent yawning
14or being unable to keep your eyes open, daydreaming or having
15wandering and disconnected thoughts, not remembering driving,
16ending up too close to cars in front of you, catching yourself
17nodding off and having trouble keeping your head up, missing
18road signs or driving past your turn or exit, and driving into
19another lane of traffic or onto the rumble strip or shoulder of
20the road; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Just like drugs or alcohol, sleep loss or fatigue

 

 

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1impairs driving skills such as hand-eye coordination, reaction
2time, vision, awareness of surroundings, decision making,
3judgment, and inhibition, which can be fatal when driving; and
 
4    WHEREAS, According to the National Sleep Foundation's
5Sleep in America poll, 60% of Americans have driven while
6feeling sleepy, and 37% admit to actually having fallen asleep
7at the wheel in the past year; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Countermeasures to prevent a fall-asleep crash
9while driving include driver awareness of warning signs of
10drowsy driving, driver decision to stop driving when warning
11signs of fatigue arise and find a safe place to take a 15-20
12minute nap and consume caffeine, driver decision to limit
13traveling long distances alone, and driver decision to let a
14passenger take over the driving; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Public awareness and education campaigns on
16drowsy driving and ways to avoid drowsy driving will reduce
17preventable deaths in Illinois; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
19ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare November
203-10, 2019 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week in the State of
21Illinois; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That all residents of Illinois are encouraged to
2become familiar with the signs of drowsy driving and take steps
3to avoid drowsy driving; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Secretary of State's office and
5the Illinois Department of Transportation are encouraged to
6promote safety on Illinois roads by publicizing resources by
7the National Sleep Foundation during Drowsy Driving Prevention
8Week 2019 on its website and other electronic platforms widely
9accessible to Illinois residents.