IA

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 247

Designating the month of December 1993 as ‘‘National Drunk and Drugged

Driving Prevention Month’’.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

AUGUST 3, 1993

Mr. MINETA (for himself, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. PETRI, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. CLINGER, Mr. APPLEGATE, Mr. DE LUGO, Mr. BORSKI, Mr.

VALENTINE, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. WISE, Mr. TRAFICANT,

Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. HAYES, Mr. CLEMENT, Mr. EMERSON, Mr.

COSTELLO, Mr. PARKER, Mr. SANGMEISTER, Mr. SWETT, Mr. DUNCAN,

Mr. CRAMER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BLACKWELL, Mr. COPPERSMITH, Ms.

BYRNE, Ms. DUNN, Ms. DANNER, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. HUTCHINSON,

Mr. CLYBURN, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. LEVY, Mr. DEAL, Mr. BARCIA

of Michigan, Mr. BLUTE, Mr. HAMBURG, Mr. TUCKER, Mr. QUINN, Ms.

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. GOODLING, and Mrs.

MORELLA) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service

JOINT RESOLUTION

Designating the month of December 1993 as ‘‘National

Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month’’.

Whereas impaired driving is the most frequently committed

violent crime in the United States;
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Whereas last year 45 percent of those who died on our Nation’s highways were the result of motor vehicle crashes

involving alcohol;

Whereas last year nearly 18,000 people were killed and

1,200,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving

alcohol;

Whereas impaired driving continues to cost society some

$46,000,000,000 each year in direct costs;

Whereas medical costs associated with impaired driving are

approximately $5,500,000,000 a year;

Whereas injury and property damage resulting from impaired

driving cause physical, emotional, and economic hardship

for hundreds of thousands of adults and young people;

Whereas the ongoing work of citizen activists groups, such as

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Students

Against Driving Drunk (SADD), Remove Intoxicated

Drivers (RID), and the National Commission Against

Drunk Driving, continue to promote good prevention efforts which have contributed to a 30 percent reduction in

alcohol-related traffic deaths over the past decade;

Whereas a decade of intense public education effort has

proved that alcohol-related highway crashes are not accidents and can be prevented;

Whereas comprehensive community-based strategies to further reduce and prevent impaired driving tragedies are

known to be effective;

Whereas an increased public awareness of the gravity of the

problem of drunk and drugged driving may help to sustain current efforts to develop comprehensive solutions at

the State and local levels;
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Whereas more than 20 public and private sector organizations have joined together to carry out a nationwide public information, education, and enforcement campaign

during the December holiday season;

Whereas the Secretary of Transportation has set a goal to reduce alcohol-related fatalities by 43 percent by the year

1997 and MADD has set a goal to reduce alcohol-related

traffic fatalities by 40 percent by the year 2000;

Whereas the Secretary of Health and Human Services has

set a goal for all 50 States to prohibit by the year 2000

any allowable blood-alcohol concentration tolerance level

for drivers younger than age 21; and

Whereas, since December is a month of many holidays and

celebrations, with more drivers on the roads and an increased number of social functions, it is a particularly appropriate time to focus national attention on this critical

problem: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 That the month of December 1993 is designated as ‘‘Na4 tional Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month’’,

5 and the President is authorized and requested to issue a

6 proclamation calling upon the people of the United States

7 to observe that month with appropriate activities.

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