Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 97.djvu/757

 PUBLIC LAW 98-103—SEPT. 30, 1983 97 STAT. 725 Public Law 98-103 98th Congress Joint Resolution To designate the week of December 11, 1983, through December 17, 1983, as "National Sept. 30, 1983 Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week". rg j jjgg ^gj Whereas traffic accidents result in more violent deaths in the United States than any other cause, over forty-four thousand in 1982; Whereas traffic accidents cause thousands of serious injuries in the United States each year; Whereas more than 65 per centum of drivers killed in single vehicle collisions and over 50 per centum of all drivers fatally injured have blood alcohol concentrations above the legal limit; Whereas the Surgeon General has reported that life expectancy has risen for every age group over the past seventy-five years except for those fifteen to twenty-four years old, whose death rate, the leading cause of which is drunk driving, is higher now than it was twenty years ago; Whereas the total societal cost of drunk driving has been estimated at over $24,000,000,000 per year, which does not include the human suffering that can never be measured; Whereas there are increasing reports of driving after drug usc and accidents involving drivers who have used marihuana or other illegal drugs; Whereas driving after the use of therapeutic drugs, either alone or in combination with alcohol, contrary to the advice of physician, pharmacist, or manufacturer, may create a safety hazard on the roads; Whereas more research is needed on the effect of drugs either alone or in combination with alcohol, on driving ability and the inci- dence of traffic accidents; Whereas an increased public awareness of the gravity of the prob- lem of drugged driving may warn drug users to refrain from driving and may stimulate interest in increasing necessary re- search on the effect of drugs on driving ability and the incidence of traffic accidents; Whereas the public, particularly through the work of citizens groups, is demanding a solution to the problem of drunk and drugged driving; Whereas the President has appointed a Commission on Drunk Driving to heighten public awareness and stimulate the pursuit of solutions, and this Commission has provided vital recommenda- tions for remedies for the problem of drunk driving in an interim report in December 1982; Whereas many States have appointed task forces to examine exist- ing drunk driving programs and make recommendations for a renewed, comprehensive approach, and in many cases their rec- ommendations are leading to enactment of new laws, along with stricter enforcement;

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