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PRINTER'S NO. 2625
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
539
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY BOBACK, HELM, BIZZARRO, PICKETT, KIRKLAND,
DONATUCCI, KORTZ, DiGIROLAMO, MURT, HENNESSEY, BURNS, HILL-
EVANS, SONNEY, FREEMAN, MILLARD, SCHLEGEL CULVER, KAUFFMAN,
STAATS, MACKENZIE, WILLIAMS, MALAGARI, B. MILLER, YOUNGBLOOD,
KINSEY, HEFFLEY, HARKINS, SCHMITT, SNYDER, OWLETT, BROWN,
CALTAGIRONE, SAYLOR, KIM, READSHAW, HOWARD AND JOHNSON-
HARRELL, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the week of October 20 through 26, 2019, 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, In 2015, there were 1,886 young drivers between 15
and 20 years of age involved in fatal crashes and approximately
195,000 teens were injured; and
WHEREAS, The crash rate in the United States for teen
drivers, based on miles driven, is nearly three times the crash
rate for drivers 20 years of age or older; and
WHEREAS, The majority of teen driver crashes in the United
States are due to a critical driver error, with four common
errors accounting for nearly half of all serious crashes:
driving too fast for road conditions; being distracted; not
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paying careful attention to road hazards; and drunk or drugged
driving; and
WHEREAS, More than half of teenagers killed in motor vehicle
accidents in the United States each year did not use seat belts;
and
WHEREAS, More than 50% 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
months that teenagers are eligible to drive; and
WHEREAS, Young drivers are the least experienced, and traffic
crashes involving drivers 16 to 19 years of age are most often
the result of a critical driver error, such as speed,
distraction or failure to detect a hazard; 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 Young 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 seat belt use and the practice of
gradually increasing driver privileges over time as a young
driver gains more experience under supervised conditions; and
WHEREAS, Recognizing the third week of October as "National
Teen Driver Safety Week" is expected to increase awareness of
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these important issues among teenagers and the adults who care
about them in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Avoiding impaired driving helps teens avoid becoming
a statistic; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
week of October 20 through 26, 2019, as "National Teen Driver
Safety Week" in Pennsylvania.
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