CORRECTIVE REPRINT
PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2389 PRINTER'S NO. 2403
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, MOYER, MURT AND SANTONI,
AUGUST 10, 2007
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
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
1 age; and
2 WHEREAS, The majority of teen driver crashes in the United
3 States are due to driver error and speeding, and 15% of the
4 crashes are due to drunk driving; and
5 WHEREAS, Roughly two-thirds of teenagers killed in motor
6 vehicle accidents in the United States each year did not use
7 seatbelts; and
8 WHEREAS, Approximately 63% of teen passenger deaths in the
9 United States occur while other teenagers are driving; and
10 WHEREAS, It is necessary to explore effective ways to reduce
11 the crash risk for young drivers by focusing research and
12 outreach efforts on areas of teen driving that show the most
13 promise for improving safety; and
14 WHEREAS, The National Teen Driver Survey, developed with
15 input from teenagers and administered by The Children's Hospital
16 of Philadelphia, demonstrates a nationwide need to increase
17 overall awareness about the safe use of electronic handheld
18 devices, the risks of nighttime and fatigued driving, the
19 importance of consistent seatbelt use and the practice of
20 gradually increasing driver privileges over time as a young
21 driver gains more experience under supervised conditions; and
22 WHEREAS, In 2005, 1,553 crash fatalities involving a teen
23 driver occurred in the fall, when teenagers in the first months
24 of the school year were faced with many decisions involving
25 driving, including whether to drive with peer passengers and
26 other distractions; and
27 WHEREAS, Recognizing the third week of October as "National
28 Teen Driver Safety Week" is expected to increase awareness of
29 these important issues among teenagers and adults in this
30 Commonwealth, as additional research is conducted to develop and
20070H0379R2403 - 2 -
1 test effective interventions to boost teen driver safety;
2 therefore be it
3 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
4 week of October 15 through 20, 2007, as "National Teen Driving
5 Safety Week" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives:
7 (1) support the goals and ideals of "National Teen
8 Driver Safety Week"; and
9 (2) encourage the people of Pennsylvania to observe the
10 week with appropriate activities that promote the practice of
11 safe driving among licensed teen drivers in this
12 Commonwealth.
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