PRINTER'S NO. 1138
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
186
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY B. MILLER, RYAN, HILL-EVANS, GREINER, MURT,
KINSEY, ZIMMERMAN, OBERLANDER, KAUFFMAN, KORTZ, BIZZARRO,
SCHLOSSBERG, BURNS, STAATS, SCHLEGEL CULVER, HICKERNELL,
READSHAW, FREEMAN, MENTZER, BROWN, NEILSON, DiGIROLAMO,
SAYLOR, MILLARD, McCLINTON, MARKOSEK, MULLINS, DUSH, STRUZZI,
YOUNGBLOOD, MOUL, FITZGERALD, FEE, KULIK, COOK, SCHEMEL,
PASHINSKI, PYLE, HEFFLEY AND TOOHIL, APRIL 2, 2019
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 2, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Designating April 27, 2019, as "Don't Text and Drive Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Texting while driving poses a significant risk to
drivers, passengers, pedestrians and other individuals sharing
the road; and
WHEREAS, Texting while driving can lead to devastating
injuries, fatalities and property damage; and
WHEREAS, With behaviors encompassing manual, visual and
cognitive tasks, texting while driving is one of the most
dangerous driver distractions; and
WHEREAS, Evidence shows the prevalence of texting while
driving, its dangers on our roadways, its damage to property and
its destruction of lives and livelihoods through injury or
death; and
WHEREAS, Sending or receiving a text message diverts a
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
driver's attention for approximately 5 seconds, which at 55
miles per hour means blindly driving the length of a football
field; and
WHEREAS, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) has found that the percentage of drivers text messaging
or visibly manipulating handheld devices increased from 1.6% in
2013 to 2.0% in 2016; and
WHEREAS, NHTSA's most recent data shows that texting while
driving creates a crash risk 23 times greater than driving while
not distracted; and
WHEREAS, The National Safety Council estimates that cell
phone-related vehicle accidents account for 27% of all crashes
and texting-related vehicle accidents account for 6% of all
crashes; and
WHEREAS, A 2016 United States Department of Transportation
study notes that, at any given moment during daylight hours,
more than 481,000 vehicles were driven by someone using a
handheld cell phone; and
WHEREAS, Data collected by the University of Michigan
Transportation Research Institute shows that approximately 25%
of teenagers have responded to a text message while driving and
that 20% of teenagers and 10% of parents have had extended
multimessage texting conversations while driving; and
WHEREAS, The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts has
reported that 12,201 distracted driving violations were cited in
Pennsylvania between 2012 and 2017 and approximately 7,889 of
those violations were specific to texting; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's PA
Crash Facts & Statistics indicate that fatalities occurred in
371 of the 89,424 crashes involving distracted driving in this
20190HR0186PN1138 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Commonwealth between 2012 and 2017; and
WHEREAS, The mounting dangers of texting while driving have
validated actions of the General Assembly to reduce texting
while driving; and
WHEREAS, Act No. 98 of 2011 prohibits drivers from operating
a motor vehicle on a highway or trafficway in this Commonwealth
while using an interactive wireless communications device to
send, read or write text-based communication; and
WHEREAS, Act No. 85 of 2014 prohibits drivers from engaging
in texting while operating a commercial motor vehicle or motor
carrier vehicle; and
WHEREAS, Act No. 165 of 2016 increases penalties for the
offense of homicide by vehicle and for the offense of aggravated
assault by vehicle while using text-based communication;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate April
27, 2019, as "Don't Text and Drive Day" in Pennsylvania; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives appeal to
individuals, government agencies, business leaders, hospitals,
schools and other public and private institutions to promote
awareness of the dangers of texting while driving; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives seek support for
programs and policies that reduce the incidence of texting while
driving in this Commonwealth and nationwide; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge residents of
this Commonwealth to preserve life and property by refraining
from texting while driving; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge law
20190HR0186PN1138 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
enforcement across this Commonwealth to diligently enforce laws
preventing texting while driving.
20190HR0186PN1138 - 4 -
1
2