1Recognizing the week of October 19 through 25, 2014, as
2"National Teen Driver Safety Week" in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death
4for adolescents and young adults in the United States, and many
5of these deaths are preventable; and

6WHEREAS, Throughout the United States, 4,283 drivers between
715 and 20 years of age were involved in fatal crashes in 2012;
8and

9WHEREAS, The crash rate in the United States for teen
10drivers, based on miles driven, is nearly three times the crash
11rate for drivers 20 years of age and over; and

12WHEREAS, The majority of teen driver crashes in the United
13States are due to a critical driver error, with four common
14errors accounting for nearly half of all serious crashes:

1driving too fast for road conditions, being distracted, not
2paying careful attention to road hazards and drunk driving,
3which accounts for 22% of fatal teen crashes; and

4WHEREAS, More than half of teenagers killed in motor vehicle
5accidents in the United States each year did not use seat belts;
6and

7WHEREAS, Approximately 54% of teen passenger deaths in the
8United States occur while other teenagers are driving; and

9WHEREAS, The presence of teen passengers increases the crash
10risk of unsupervised teen drivers, and this risk increases with
11the number of teen passengers; and

12WHEREAS, The crash risk is particularly high during the first
13year that teenagers are eligible to drive; and

14WHEREAS, In 2012, in Pennsylvania, drivers under 21 years of
15age were involved in 24,203 traffic crashes with 31.6% of those
16crashes involving a single vehicle running off the road and
17hitting a fixed object, such as a tree or guardrail; and

18WHEREAS, In Pennsylvania, in 2012, there were 105 teen driver
19fatalities, with seven deaths among 16-year-old drivers; and

20WHEREAS, Young drivers are the least experienced and traffic
21crashes involving drivers 16 to 19 years of age are most often
22the result of a critical driver error, such as speed,
23distraction or failure to detect a hazard; and

24WHEREAS, It is necessary to explore effective ways to reduce
25the crash risk for young drivers by focusing research and
26outreach efforts on areas of teen driving that show the most
27promise for improving safety; and

28WHEREAS, The National Teen Driver Survey, developed with
29input from teenagers and administered by The Children's Hospital
30of Philadelphia, demonstrates a nationwide need to increase

1overall awareness about the safe use of electronic handheld
2devices, the risks of nighttime and fatigued driving, the
3importance of consistent seat belt use and the practice of
4gradually increasing driver privileges over time as a young
5driver gains more experience under supervised conditions; and

6WHEREAS, Nationally in 2012, 716 crash fatalities involving a
7teen driver occurred in the fall months of September, October
8and November as teenagers in the first months of the school year
9were faced with many decisions involving driving, including
10whether to drive with peer passengers and other distractions;
11and

12WHEREAS, Recognizing the third week of October as National
13Teen Driver Safety Week is expected to increase awareness of
14these important issues among teenagers and adults in this
15Commonwealth, as additional research is conducted to develop and
16test effective interventions to boost teen driver safety;
17therefore be it

18RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
19week of October 19 through 25, 2014, as National Teen Driver
20Safety Week in Pennsylvania; and be it further

21RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives:

22(1) support the goals and ideals of "National Teen
23Driver Safety Week," specifically to promote the theme of
24"Support Older Novice Drivers: Build Awareness of the Trend
25in Delayed Licensure"; and

26(2) encourage individuals 18 years of age and over to
27prepare as if they are getting a learner's permit with
28behind-the-wheel training with a professional or an
29experienced licensed adult driver, driving in many different
30environments, including poor weather conditions and nighttime

1driving, and working toward getting between 50 and 120 hours
2of adult supervised practice.