History:
On April 23, 1998, A&M student Lupe Medina fell asleep at the wheel while driving to College Station from Huntsville late that night. His good friend, Student Senator Rob Ferguson, presented a draft of the Lupe Medina Bill for Driving Safety to the 51st Session of the Texas A&M Student Senate in 1998. This program strives to prevent drowsy driving through awareness and a unique partnership with participating hotels that will offer discounts during late night hours to drowsy drivers.
The Actual Bill:
The Student Senate
Texas A&M University
S.B. 98(F)1
Introduced by: Rob Ferguson
Action Taken: PASSED
Certified by: Amy Magee, Speaker of the Senate
Date: 9/23/98
Duly Certified by: Laurie Nickel, Student Body President
Whereas: According to the United States Department of Transportation, Texas leads the nation in number of fatigue related driving accidents and deaths and,
Whereas: In a 1998 Omnibus Sleep in America Poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, it was concluded that "57% of the adult public had driven when drowsy during the past year," and "The younger the adult the more likely he or she has driven drowsy in the past year," and "72% of the people between the ages of 18-24 have driven drowsy," and
Whereas: The United States Congress reports that fatigue related crashes have cost the average taxpayers a total of $12,500,000,000 in economic losses, and
Whereas: President Clinton and members of the United States Congress have agreed that Americans must become more aware of the importance of proper sleep habits to their "overall well-being and productivity," and
Whereas: The National Sleep Foundation has created the "Drive Alert...Arrive Alive" Campaign to help people become aware of the dangers of drowsy driving, and
Whereas: The National Sleep Foundation predicts that the number of fatigue related automobile accidents can be reduced with the help of a state wide public relations campaign aimed at making young people aware of the dangers of drowsy driving, and
Whereas: Currently, there is no major program in Texas to help make drivers aware of the problems faced with drowsy driving, and
Whereas: Many students at Texas A&M have been personally affected by the loss of Aggies who have died because of fatigue related driving crashes, then
Therefore Let It Be Enacted: That in accordance with participating Super 8 Motels and Hampton Inns all across the State of Texas, with the presentation of a valid student I.D., discounts will be provided to college students during weekend middle of the night hours and heavy travel times such as Winter and Spring Break, and
Be It Further Enacted: That all discounts can be extended at the decision of the manager and all discount rates shall be decided be each individual manager, and
Be It Further Enacted: That no student shall be provided a discount at a participating motel that is within 50 miles of his or her home school unless approved by the Hotel manager, and
Be It Further Enacted: That the Texas Aggies Making Changes (TAMC) Committee of the Texas A&M Student Government Association is the administer of this bill, and their responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to,
1) Designing and posting drowsy driving awareness flyers in cooperation with the National Sleep Foundation, and developing other possible ways of publicizing the available discount.
2) Alerting the management of each participating motel before heavy travel times, that upon their personal decision the discount should be extended to accommodate the many students traveling.
3) Sending a flyer to each participating motel that can be placed in clear view in the front of the motel, so the student will know this location participates in the program.
4) Notifying all of the other Texas institutions of higher learning about this program so they can pursue the option of participating immediately.
5) Accepting the participation of other motel chains and locations after the implementation of this bill has begun, and
Be It Further Enacted: The Texas Aggies Making Changes Committee in conjunction with the National Sleep Foundation shall help promote this program on a national level if adopted