THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY WATSON, GEIST, DiGIROLAMO, OBERLANDER, BROOKS, REICHLEY, BOBACK, BRENNAN, R. BROWN, BURNS, CLYMER, D. COSTA, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DAVIS, EVERETT, FABRIZIO, FLECK, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GINGRICH, HAHN, HENNESSEY, HICKERNELL, HORNAMAN, KAUFFMAN, KILLION, KNOWLES, KORTZ, LONGIETTI, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MARSHALL, MARSICO, MICOZZIE, MILLARD, MILNE, MIRABITO, MOUL, O'NEILL, PEIFER, PICKETT, QUINN, RAVENSTAHL, READSHAW, ROCK, ROSS, SAINATO, SANTONI, SCAVELLO, CULVER, SONNEY, SWANGER, TALLMAN, TOOHIL AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 4, 2011

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, OCTOBER 4, 2011  

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing the week of October 16 through 22, 2011, as

"National Teen Driver Safety Week" in Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death

for adolescents and young adults in the United States, and many

of these deaths are preventable; and

WHEREAS, Almost 5,150 drivers between 15 and 20 years of age

were involved in fatal crashes in 2009 throughout the United

States; and

WHEREAS, The crash rate in the United States for drivers

between 16 and 19 years of age, based on miles driven, is four

times the crash rate for drivers between 25 and 69 years of age;

and

WHEREAS, The majority of teen driver crashes in the United

States are due to driver error, making mistakes due to

inexperience and distractions, and 19% of the fatal crashes are

due to drunk driving; and

WHEREAS, Roughly two-thirds of teenagers killed in motor

vehicle accidents in the United States each year did not use

seat belts; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 63% of teen passenger deaths in the

United States occur while other teenagers are driving; and

WHEREAS, The presence of teen passengers increases the crash

risk of unsupervised teen drivers, and this risk increases with

the number of teen passengers; and

WHEREAS, The crash risk is particularly high during the first

year that teenagers are eligible to drive; and

WHEREAS, In Pennsylvania, in 2010, teens 16 to 20 years of

age were involved in 20,565 traffic crashes with 39.5% of those

crashes involving a single vehicle running off the road and

hitting a fixed object, such as a tree, guardrail, etc; and

WHEREAS, Young drivers are the least experienced, and

therefore traffic crashes involving drivers 16 to 20 years of

age are most often the result of driver error, such as speed,

distraction and failure to observe driving regulations and

conditions; and

WHEREAS, It is necessary to explore effective ways to reduce

the crash risk for young drivers by focusing research and

outreach efforts on areas of teen driving that show the most

promise for improving safety; and

WHEREAS, The National Teen Driver Survey, developed with

input from teenagers and administered by The Children's Hospital

of Philadelphia, demonstrates a nationwide need to increase

overall awareness about the safe use of electronic handheld

devices, the risks of nighttime and fatigued driving, the

importance of consistent seatbelt use and the practice of

gradually increasing driver privileges over time as a young

driver gains more experience under supervised conditions; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, 858 crash fatalities involving a teen

driver occurred in the fall, when teenagers in the first months

of the school year were faced with many decisions involving

driving, including whether to drive with peer passengers and

other distractions; and

WHEREAS, Recognizing the third week of October as "National

Teen Driver Safety Week" is expected to increase awareness of

these important issues among teenagers and adults in this

Commonwealth, as additional research is conducted to develop and

test effective interventions to boost teen driver safety;

therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the

week of October 16 through 22, 2011, as "National Teen Driver

Safety Week" in Pennsylvania; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives:

(1)  support the goals and ideals of "National Teen

Driver Safety Week," specifically to support parents in

teaching their teens to drive; and

(2)  encourage the people of Pennsylvania to observe the

week with appropriate activities that promote the practice of

safe driving among licensed teen drivers in this

Commonwealth.