[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 493 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 493

             Recognizing the dangers of distracted driving.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2017

    Mr. Krishnamoorthi (for himself and Mr. Hultgren) submitted the 
     following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
             Recognizing the dangers of distracted driving.

Whereas, in 2011, Congress passed the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform 
        Protection Act of 2011, which authorized the Secretary of Transportation 
        to award incentive grants to States with graduated driver licensing laws 
        that require novice drivers younger than age 21 to comply with a two-
        stage licensing process before receiving an unrestricted driver's 
        license;
Whereas the two-stage process included a learner's permit and a subsequent 
        intermediate permit stage that prohibits the usage of cell phones or 
        other communication devices in nonemergency situations;
Whereas this law aimed to reduce instances of impaired driving, including 
        distracted driving;
Whereas, in 2015, the National Safety Council reported that 47 percent of 
        drivers believe it is safe to send a text either manually or via voice-
        dictation system, 35 percent of teens use social media behind the wheel, 
        and 54 percent of drivers feel pressure from work to drive distracted;
Whereas, in 2016, about 40,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes, 
        representing a 14 percent increase since 2014;
Whereas, in 2016, the National Safety Council, the National Highway Traffic 
        Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and the 
        Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration all announced the Road to 
        Zero initiative, with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities within 
        30 years;
Whereas this coalition encourages a coordinated approach by local and State 
        entities to increase driver safety;
Whereas, in 2017, AT&T reported that while driving, nearly 4 in 10 smartphone 
        users tap into social media, almost 3 in 10 surf the net, and 
        surprisingly, 1 in 10 video chat;
Whereas AT&T research reports that while texting and emailing remain the 
        prevalent driver distraction, more than \1/4\ polled reported using 
        other social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, while driving;
Whereas a shocking 1 in 7 reported they are active on Twitter from behind the 
        wheel of a moving vehicle;
Whereas the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 
        distracted driving is a problem for all age groups, but especially for 
        younger, novice drivers who use smartphones at a rate over two times 
        higher than other age groups;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor 
        vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens;
Whereas 47 States and the District of Columbia now ban texting while driving, 15 
        States and the District of Columbia prohibit all hand held use of cell 
        phones while driving, and 38 States and the District of Columbia ban all 
        cell phone use by novice drivers; and
Whereas Congress incentivizes States to ban all cell phone use for teen drivers, 
        except in cases of emergency: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the dangers 
of distracted driving and expresses support for--
            (1) public and private efforts to educate the public about 
        the dangers of distracted driving;
            (2) industry-led engineering solutions to reduce fatal 
        crash risks as a result of distracted driving;
            (3) stronger enforcement of distracted driving laws;
            (4) the ``It Can Wait'' campaign created by AT&T to raise 
        awareness of the dangers of texting and driving; and
            (5) the Road to Zero coalition and its efforts to encourage 
        a holistic, safe system approach to improving roadway safety, 
        including reducing distracted driving and crashes related to 
        it.
                                 <all>