[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 155 (Monday, October 15, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S12853]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Commerce 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Con. Res. 36, 
and the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the concurrent resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 36) supporting the 
     goals and ideals of National Teen Driver Safety Week.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements be printed 
in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 36) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
       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.

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