[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 36 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 36

  Supporting the goals and ideals of National Teen Driver Safety Week.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 6, 2007

    Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Specter, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Obama) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
         the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Supporting the goals and ideals of National Teen Driver Safety Week.

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;
Whereas almost 7,500 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 years were involved 
        in fatal crashes in 2005 throughout the United States;
Whereas the fatality rate in the United States for drivers between the ages of 
        16 and 19 years, based on miles driven, is 4 times the fatality rate for 
        drivers between the ages of 25 and 69 years;
Whereas the majority of teen driver crashes in the United States are due to 
        driver error and speeding, and 15 percent of the crashes are due to 
        drunk driving;
Whereas roughly two-thirds of the teenagers killed in motor vehicle accidents in 
        the United States each year do not use seatbelts;
Whereas approximately 63 percent of teen passenger deaths in the United States 
        occur while other teenagers are driving;
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;
Whereas the National Teen Driver Survey, developed with input from teenagers and 
        administered by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, demonstrates a 
        national need to increase overall awareness about the safe use of 
        electronic handheld devices, the risk of nighttime and fatigued driving, 
        the importance of consistent seatbelt use, and the practice of gradually 
        increasing driver privileges over time as a young driver gains more 
        experience under supervised conditions;
Whereas in 2005, 1,553 crash fatalities involving a teen driver occurred in the 
        fall, when teenagers are in the first months of the school year and 
        faced with many decisions involving driving, including whether to drive 
        with peer passengers and other distractions; and
Whereas designating the third week of October as National Teen Driver Safety 
        Week is expected to increase awareness of these important issues among 
        teenagers and adults in communities throughout the United States, as 
        additional research is conducted to develop and test effective 
        interventions that will help teenagers become safe drivers: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Teen Driver 
        Safety Week; and
            (2) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        the week with appropriate activities that promote the practice 
        of safe driving among the Nation's licensed teenage drivers.
                                 <all>