[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 130 (Wednesday, September 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H10100-H10102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 165) supporting the
goals and ideals of National Teen Driver Safety Week.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 165
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
[[Page H10101]]
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 safer drivers;
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Vermont (Mr. Welch) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Vermont.
General Leave
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Vermont?
There was no objection.
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, I'm pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.
Con. Res. 165, which supports the goals and ideals of National Teen
Driver Safety Week.
This resolution, which has 55 cosponsors, was introduced by
Representative Charles Dent on June 6, 2007. The resolution was
reported from the Oversight Committee on July 19, 2007, by a voice
vote.
Madam Speaker, road crashes are the leading cause of death for
teenagers. These crashes are more common among young drivers than among
any other age group, with one in four crash fatalities in the United
States involving young people from the ages of 16 to 24.
The first 6 months after a teenager receives his or her license, he
or she is especially at high risk of being in a car accident.
Unfortunately, this risk stays relatively high until the young driver
reaches 25.
In an effort to improve road safety and reduce crashes among young
people, the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia and the State Farm Insurance Company
codeveloped a multiyear teen center research initiative to help young
drivers develop safe, smart driving behaviors and skills.
Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague Mr. Dent from Pennsylvania for
seeking to support the goals and ideals of National Teen Driver Safety
Week, and I urge the swift passage of this bill.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Tragedy strikes every day as teen drivers, just on the cusp of
adulthood, are killed at an alarming rate each year, causing grief and
profound sadness for their families and communities.
Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death among
adolescents and young adults in the United States.
In 2005, almost 7,500 drivers between the age of 15 and 20 were
involved in fatal crashes across the United States. Many of these
deaths are preventable, and it is imperative that we do all we can to
improve the safety of our roads and highways for all drivers.
H. Con. Res. 165 supports the ideals and goals of National Teen
Driver Safety Week, an important event that will go a long way towards
educating our young people and their families about safe driving
practices.
The statistics of teen driving are simply staggering. This age group
makes up only 7 percent of licensed drivers but suffers 14 percent of
fatalities and 20 percent of all reported accidents.
Based on miles driven, drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 have
four times the mortality rate than drivers older than 25 and up.
Most important of all, the number of teen drivers on the road is
expected to grow to over 32 million by 2010, meaning that, unless we
take action, this tragic problem will only get worse.
National Teen Driver Safety Week seeks to reverse these alarming
trends by concentrating national attention on the development and
communication of effective interventions to help reduce crashes
involving teen drivers. Teens will be taught about safe driver
practices that will prevent many of these accidents from occurring.
Efforts will be made to encourage teens to wear seatbelts, as nearly
two-thirds of all teenagers killed in motor vehicle accidents have been
reportedly not wearing seatbelts.
Finally, National Teen Driver Safety Week will echo other groups in
warning about the dangers of drunk driving, nighttime fatigue and other
use of electronic, handheld devices. By educating teens, along with
their families, we can possibly make a lasting change in teen driving
behavior that will lead to safer roads for all of us.
Therefore, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Con. Res.
165, supporting the goals of the National Teen Driver Safety Week.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I reserve my time.
Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize my friend
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) for as much time as he may consume.
Mr. DENT. Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to rise this afternoon in
support of this legislation which designates the third week of October
as National Teen Driver Safety Week.
As has already been stated, we witness this issue on far too many
occasions, but roughly 7,500 teenage drivers were involved in fatal car
crashes in 2005. Today, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of
death among American teenagers.
The time has come for Congress to recognize this terrible problem and
consider effective interventions that will help reduce the number of
accidents involving teens on American roads.
On Monday, January 22, 2007, following a tragic accident that claimed
the lives of two young high school students in my district, The Morning
Call newspaper compiled a report: Fatal crashes involving teens that
had occurred in the Lehigh Valley region since 2001. This report
indicated that there were a total of 13 fatalities between 2001 and
2006, with alcohol involved in two of the seven accidents reported.
Other contributing factors included racing and reckless behavior.
Sadly, it appears that these events, which are happening in every
corner of the United States, could have been prevented, enabling these
young adults to reach their destinations safely.
To address this troubling issue, the Children's Hospital of
Pennsylvania, or CHOP as it's commonly referred to, is currently
conducting research that will help develop the best interventions to
reduce the risk of crash injury for teen drivers and travelers sharing
the road with them.
The alliance of Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania and State Farm
Insurance Company, CHOP's partner in this initiative, is nationally
recognized for its research and outreach involving child passenger
safety. However, this year they've expanded their agenda from the car
seat to the driver's seat in an effort to address the cause of motor
vehicle crashes, the leading cause of death among American teenagers.
Together, CHOP and State Farm have conducted research indicating that
teens often drive while distracted and fatigued.
{time} 1245
I believe this alliance brings together a wide range of expertise and
research and outreach, translating scientific evidence into actions
that will help save lives. It's important that Congress support efforts
to effectively educate these teens and families about ways to address
these problems.
This resolution will endorse the goals and ideals of a week in which
intensive programming will be used to encourage these teens to drive
more safely. By delaying exposure to risky driving conditions until
they have had enough supervised driving experience, managing
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peer-to-peer interactions while in the vehicle, and reinforcing the
need to protect and react to hazards more appropriately, teens will be
better prepared to drive responsibly. Throughout our great Nation,
teens are dying in crashes at a rate of four times that of adult
drivers.
Congress must work to prevent these tragedies, and I certainly
encourage my colleagues to support this important resolution.
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from the great State of Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).
Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for
giving me this time. I actually came to the floor to speak on other
legislation, but when I realized that this bill was up, I wanted to at
least make a couple of comments about it.
I have the privilege of serving as the ranking member on the Highways
and Transit Subcommittee. Prior to that, or a few years ago, I served
for 6 years as chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee. The statistics,
or the comparison between aviation and safety on our highways, is just
staggering.
Unfortunately, we have more people killed in 3\1/2\ months on our
Nation's highways than we have had killed in all U.S. aviation
accidents combined since the Wright brothers' flight in 1903. But more
importantly I want to commend the authors of this legislation, because
we need to do everything we can to call attention to the record of teen
drivers and raise the awareness of teenagers as to how dangerous our
Nation's highways can be.
According to the most recent statistics by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, our safest drivers, contrary to what a
lot of people believe, are those 75 and over. The second safest group
of drivers are those 65 to 74.
The 75 and over age group has 2.5 accidents per 10,000 drivers. That
compares to the 16-to-20 group which has 13.3 percent per 10,000
drivers. It's an amazing statistic as to how dangerous teenage driving
is and how safe our older drivers are.
I just wanted to say that I rise in strong support of this resolution
on Teen Driver Safety Week.
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the work of my
colleague, Mr. Westmoreland, the remarks of my colleagues, Mr. Duncan
from Tennessee and Mr. Dent from Pennsylvania, and urge passage.
Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I am proud to
join my colleague from Pennsylvania, Mr. Dent, in supporting the goals
and ideals of National Teen Driver Safety Week. I signed on as an
original co-sponsor of this important initiative because I believe that
teen driver safety--especially in Pennsylvania--deserves our support
and our attention. This is an important piece of legislation and I urge
my fellow Members of Congress to support it today.
I am also proud of the research and prevention efforts of the
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, which includes a campus in my
district. We should all applaud their commitment to keeping our teens
and roads safer and I hope that the establishment of Teen Driver Safety
Week will bring attention to this important issue in communities like
mine across the United States.
Madam Speaker, the figures are daunting: Almost 7,500 drivers between
the ages of 15 and 20 were involved in fatal crashes in 2005 and the
fatality rate for teens is four times the rate for drivers between 25
and 69. The good news is that we can do something about it. The
majority of teen driver crashes in our country are due to avoidable
mistakes like speeding or cell phone use. The research shows that
involvement from parents, educators and peers can make the difference
in saving young lives.
In my own district, an organization called Central Bucks Cares is
leading the charge to engage teen drivers in safe driving practices.
After the tragic deaths of Laura Lauterbach and James Ogden, both
students at Central Bucks East High School, the nonprofit community
coalition assembled a roundtable discussion on teen driving. Following
the roundtable, student intern Sarah Canavan of Buckingham helped
Central Bucks Cares to draft a contract that teen drivers and their
parents could agree to.
Teens agree to responsible driving practices, including courteous
behavior towards other drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as
adherence to traffic laws and road signs. Parents agree to serve as
good role models in their own driving and to encourage safe driving
practices by enforcing the terms of the contract.
Sarah's younger sister Amy and her mother were the first teen/parent
pair to sign and fully support the agreement. I hope that many more
families in Pennsylvania and nationwide will follow their example in
making a commitment to safer teen driving.
Madam Speaker, I see the difference that Central Bucks Cares is
making in my district and I hope that this legislation will help other
communities to do the same.
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) that the House suspend the rules and
agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 165.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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