PRINTER'S NO. 2389
No. 379 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY WATSON, HENNESSEY, CLYMER, PERZEL, HARPER, ARGALL,
BAKER, BEAR, BEYER, BOBACK, BOYD, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI,
COHEN, CONKLIN, CREIGHTON, CRUZ, DALLY, DePASQUALE,
DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, ELLIS, EVERETT, FLECK, FRANKEL,
FREEMAN, GALLOWAY, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GILLESPIE,
GINGRICH, HELM, HERSHEY, HESS, JAMES, KAUFFMAN, W. KELLER,
KENNEY, KILLION, KORTZ, KOTIK, KULA, MAJOR, MANN, MANTZ,
MARKOSEK, McCALL, MILLARD, MOUL, O'NEILL, PALLONE, PARKER,
PETRI, PETRONE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, PYLE, RAMALEY, RAPP,
READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROHRER, ROSS, RUBLEY, SABATINA, SAINATO,
SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SIPTROTH, McILVAINE SMITH,
SOLOBAY, SWANGER, R. TAYLOR, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, J. WHITE,
WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD, MAHONEY AND MOYER, AUGUST 10, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, AUGUST 10, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the week of October 15 through 20, 2007, as
2 "National Teen Driving Safety Week" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death
4 for adolescents and young adults in the United States, and many
5 of these deaths are preventable; and
6 WHEREAS, Almost 7,500 drivers between 15 and 20 years of age
7 were involved in fatal crashes in 2005 throughout the United
8 States; and
9 WHEREAS, The fatality rate in the United States for drivers
10 between 16 and 19 years of age, based on miles driven, is four
11 times the fatality rate for drivers between 25 and 69 years of
12 age; and
1 WHEREAS, The majority of teen driver crashes in the United
2 States are due to driver error and speeding, and 15% of the
3 crashes are due to drunk driving; and
4 WHEREAS, Roughly two-thirds of teenagers killed in motor
5 vehicle accidents in the United States each year did not use
6 seatbelts; and
7 WHEREAS, Approximately 63% of teen passenger deaths in the
8 United States occur while other teenagers are driving; and
9 WHEREAS, It is necessary to explore effective ways to reduce
10 the crash risk for young drivers by focusing research and
11 outreach efforts on areas of teen driving that show the most
12 promise for improving safety; and
13 WHEREAS, The National Teen Driver Survey, developed with
14 input from teenagers and administered by The Children's Hospital
15 of Philadelphia, demonstrates a nationwide need to increase
16 overall awareness about the safe use of electronic handheld
17 devices, the risks of nighttime and fatigued driving, the
18 importance of consistent seatbelt use and the practice of
19 gradually increasing driver privileges over time as a young
20 driver gains more experience under supervised conditions; and
21 WHEREAS, In 2005, 1,553 crash fatalities involving a teen
22 driver occurred in the fall, when teenagers in the first months
23 of the school year were faced with many decisions involving
24 driving, including whether to drive with peer passengers and
25 other distractions; and
26 WHEREAS, Recognizing the third week of October as "National
27 Teen Driver Safety Week" is expected to increase awareness of
28 these important issues among teenagers and adults in this
29 Commonwealth, as additional research is conducted to develop and
30 test effective interventions to boost teen driver safety;
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1 therefore be it
2 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
3 week of October 15 through 20, 2007, as "National Teen Driving
4 Safety Week" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
5 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives:
6 (1) support the goals and ideals of "National Teen
7 Driver Safety Week"; and
8 (2) encourage the people of Pennsylvania to observe the
9 week with appropriate activities that promote the practice of
10 safe driving among licensed teen drivers in this
11 Commonwealth.
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