HR 845, introduced October 31, 2025 by Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and Rep.
Fitzpatrick, is a non-binding House resolution that expresses support for recognizing November 2–8, 2025 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week across the United States. The text relies on CDC definitions of drowsy driving as driving while fatigued or sleepy and cites safety data from the NSC and NHTSA to contextualize the scope of the risk, including estimates of crashes, fatalities, and economic losses tied to drowsy driving.
The resolution does not create new regulatory requirements or allocate funding. Instead, it signals federal support for public awareness campaigns and encourages voluntary steps the public can take to mitigate drowsy driving.
It functions as a coordinating nudge—aligning existing state efforts and safety messaging around fatigue-related driving risks without imposing mandates on individuals, employers, or state governments.
At a Glance
What It Does
The resolution designates a specific week (Nov 2–8, 2025) as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week and expresses support for awareness efforts. It also urges the public to take preventive steps against drowsy driving.
Who It Affects
Nationwide drivers and road users, plus state and local safety campaigns that may integrate fatigue-awareness messaging; organizations involved in highway safety and public health.
Why It Matters
It signals federal emphasis on fatigue-related driving risks, leveraging established data and organizations to elevate public awareness and potentially align future outreach without creating regulatory burdens.
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What This Bill Actually Does
This is a ceremonial resolution, not a law or rule. It recognizes the dangers of drowsy driving—defined by CDC as operating a vehicle while fatigued or sleepy—and cites substantial safety data to illustrate the scale of the problem.
The core action is a formal expression of support for designating a week in November 2025 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week and a call for the public to take preventive steps against drowsy driving. There are no funding provisions or regulatory changes attached to the measure; its impact rests in sequencing and amplifying existing safety messaging rather than imposing new duties on individuals, employers, or jurisdictions.
The bill thus functions as a public-education nudge intended to harmonize and bolster fatigue-awareness campaigns across the country.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill designates November 2–8, 2025 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week through a House resolution.
The measure expresses support for a national recognition and public-awareness efforts, not a mandate.
It references CDC definitions of drowsy driving and cites NSC/NHTSA data to frame the risk.
There are no funding authorizations or regulatory requirements created by the text.
The resolution relies on voluntary action and existing programs rather than new government mandates.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Acknowledgment of the problem and supporting data
The resolution opens by grounding the issue in established definitions of drowsy driving from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and aligns the problem with safety data cited by organizations like the National Safety Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This section sets the factual foundation for recognizing a safety-awareness week and framing the public health rationale for federal attention to fatigue-related driving risks.
Designation of Drowsy Driving Prevention Week
The core operative provision is a non-binding expression of support for recognizing the week of November 2–8, 2025 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. It signals to federal, state, and local actors that fatigue-related driving deserves elevated visibility and coordination with existing campaigns.
Encouragement of preventive steps
The resolution additionally calls on people nationwide to take preventable steps against drowsy driving. This language elevates personal and community-level action as a complementary component to awareness efforts, without imposing new duties on employers or agencies.
No funding or regulatory impact
As a symbolic measure, the text contains no funding authorization and imposes no new regulatory or enforcement responsibilities. Any practical impact depends on how states and private organizations implement and promote fatigue-awareness messaging within their existing programs.
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Who Benefits
- General motorists and their families, who gain from heightened awareness and safer driving practices.
- State and local transportation agencies and safety offices that can align campaigns with the week’s recognition within ongoing public outreach.
- Public health and sleep-safety organizations that can leverage the resolution to broaden fatigue-related safety messaging.
- Employers with night-shift or irregular schedules may incorporate fatigue-awareness messaging into safety training without new compliance burdens.
- Healthcare professionals and fatigue researchers may benefit from increased public attention to sleep-related driving risks.
Who Bears the Cost
- No federal funding is authorized; any campaign costs would fall to states or private entities that participate.
- State and local governments may incur modest administrative or promotional costs if they coordinate or align with the week’s messaging.
- Nonprofit or media partners that participate in awareness activities may incur outreach costs, though participation is voluntary.
- No direct regulatory compliance costs are created by the bill.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
Balancing symbolic federal recognition with the absence of enforceable action: can a non-binding week designation meaningfully influence driver behavior and policy outcomes without funding or mandates, or does it risk fading if not coupled with concrete programs?
The bill is a ceremonial expression, so its practical impact depends on how aggressively jurisdictions and organizations choose to implement fatigue-awareness campaigns. There is no funding, mandate, or enforcement mechanism attached, which means effectiveness hinges on voluntary adoption and existing safety infrastructures.
A potential challenge is the risk that a single-week designation may fragment attention from ongoing, year-round fatigue-safety initiatives or fail to translate awareness into measurable reductions in drowsy-driving incidents.
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