[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 105 (Thursday, July 28, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9273-S9274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF BRETT KARLIN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to remember a young man from 
Illinois whose future was full of promise and hope. Last summer, 18-
year-old Brett Karlin of Buffalo Grove, IL, was anticipating a summer 
of youthful fun. Just weeks after his graduation from Adlai E. 
Stevenson High School, on July 30, 2004, Brett and his best friend Andy 
set out on a fateful drive through the outskirts of a neighboring 
suburban town. Neither Andy nor Brett was under the influence of drugs 
or alcohol, and Brett's seatbelt was fastened, but it was little help 
as they raced over the posted 30-mile-per-hour speed limit. As they 
pushed the speedometer of the Honda Accord they were driving to 112 
miles per hour, the car skidded out of control and collided with a 
tree. The crash left twisted metal, protruding shards of shattered 
glass, and a head trauma that cost Brett his life 6 days later. A 
reckless pastime gone awry had cut a promising life short and left a 
grieving family in its wake.
  Unfortunately, tragedies like Brett's occur each day. According to a 
2003 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more 
than 4,700 U.S. teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 died of 
injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes in 2001. In my home State, 
teenagers make up only 6 percent of all Illinois drivers, but they 
account for 16 percent of all crash fatalities. We must work to prevent 
these tragic losses, and one of the ways we can do that is by 
encouraging legislators, teachers, and parents to educate America's 
teenage drivers about driver safety.
  To memorialize Brett's life, Brett's father, Michael Karlin, founded 
the Brakes for Brett nonprofit organization. Through peer presentations 
to high schools and religious and community groups, and by maintaining 
an informational Web site, Mr. Karlin, Andy, and other friends of Brett 
educate young adults about the dangers associated with reckless 
driving. I commend Mr. Karlin and those who collaborate with the Brakes 
for Brett organization for their work to save the lives of young 
drivers.
  Together, we can work to alert teens to the hazards associated with 
speeding and joyriding, including its social, emotional, psychological, 
and financial effects.
  In 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated 
that the economic costs of both fatal and nonfatal police-reported 
crashes involving drivers age 15 to 20 were approximately $40.8 
billion. Our Nation

[[Page S9274]]

bears nearly three-fourths of these costs, primarily through medical 
expenses, increased insurance premiums, taxes, and lost worker 
productivity.
  Yet these costs pale in comparison to the agony endured by parents, 
families, and friends of a teen driver whose life ends tragically and 
prematurely.
  Brett Karlin's family, despite their immense pain and grief, made the 
generous decision to donate Brett's organs, providing the opportunity 
for others to live. That opportunity to give the gift of life often 
comes in the wake of sudden tragedy. When families embrace that 
opportunity, organ donation often provides renewed hope for the donor's 
family as well as for the recipients whose lives are saved by the 
donation.
  A new person is added to the national organ donation waiting list in 
America every 13 minutes, and sadly, 17 people each day die waiting for 
transplants that cannot take place because of the shortage of donated 
organs. Illinois is fortunate to have the country's largest donor 
registry with more than 6 million participants. Although tremendous 
strides in promoting organ donation have been made, more than 320 
Illinois residents died in 2004 while waiting for an organ transplant.
  I commend Brakes for Brett for its valuable educational efforts. 
Today we remember Brett Karlin's life and honor him by recommitting 
ourselves to teen driver safety education and organ donation. Through 
these and similar efforts, we can make great strides to preserve young 
lives that might otherwise be lost.

                          ____________________