PRINTER'S NO. 4270
No. 859 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY WATSON, GEIST, MARKOSEK, QUINN, REICHLEY, BOYD,
MUSTIO, ADOLPH, ARGALL, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF, BEYER, BISHOP,
BOBACK, BRENNAN, BROOKS, CALTAGIRONE, CLYMER, COHEN,
CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DALLY, DePASQUALE, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI,
FLECK, FRANKEL, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH,
GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHART, HARPER, HELM, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY,
HESS, HICKERNELL, KAUFFMAN, M. KELLER, KENNEY, KILLION,
KORTZ, KOTIK, KULA, MACKERETH, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MANN, MANTZ,
MARSHALL, MARSICO, McGEEHAN, McILVAINE SMITH, MELIO,
MICOZZIE, MILLARD, R. MILLER, MOUL, MOYER, MURT, O'NEILL,
PALLONE, PAYNE, PERZEL, PETRI, PETRONE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT,
PYLE, RAMALEY, RAPP, READSHAW, ROCK, ROHRER, ROSS, RUBLEY,
SAINATO, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY,
STABACK, SWANGER, TRUE, VULAKOVICH AND YOUNGBLOOD,
SEPTEMBER 9, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
SEPTEMBER 9, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the week of October 19 through 25, 2008, 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, In Pennsylvania, in 2007, teens 16 to 20 years of
11 age were involved in 32,771 traffic crashes with 34.6% of those
12 crashes involving a single vehicle running off the road and
13 hitting a fixed object, such as a tree, guardrail, etc; and
14 WHEREAS, Young drivers are the least experienced, and
15 therefore traffic crashes involving drivers 16 to 20 years of
16 age are most often the result of driver error, such as speed,
17 distraction and failure to observe driving regulations and
18 conditions; and
19 WHEREAS, It is necessary to explore effective ways to reduce
20 the crash risk for young drivers by focusing research and
21 outreach efforts on areas of teen driving that show the most
22 promise for improving safety; and
23 WHEREAS, The National Teen Driver Survey, developed with
24 input from teenagers and administered by The Children's Hospital
25 of Philadelphia, demonstrates a nationwide need to increase
26 overall awareness about the safe use of electronic handheld
27 devices, the risks of nighttime and fatigued driving, the
28 importance of consistent seatbelt use and the practice of
29 gradually increasing driver privileges over time as a young
30 driver gains more experience under supervised conditions; and
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1 WHEREAS, In 2005, 1,553 crash fatalities involving a teen
2 driver occurred in the fall, when teenagers in the first months
3 of the school year were faced with many decisions involving
4 driving, including whether to drive with peer passengers and
5 other distractions; and
6 WHEREAS, Recognizing the third week of October as "National
7 Teen Driving Safety Week" is expected to increase awareness of
8 these important issues among teenagers and adults in this
9 Commonwealth, as additional research is conducted to develop and
10 test effective interventions to boost teen driver safety;
11 therefore be it
12 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
13 week of October 19 through 25, 2008, as "National Teen Driving
14 Safety Week" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives:
16 (1) support the goals and ideas of "National Teen
17 Driving Safety Week"; and
18 (2) encourage the people of Pennsylvania to observe the
19 week with appropriate activities that promote the practice of
20 safe driving among licensed teen drivers in this
21 Commonwealth.
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