[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 135 (Wednesday, September 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H9827-H9829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REDUCING GLOBAL TRAFFIC DEATHS

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 74) supporting the goals and ideals 
of a decade of action for road safety with a global target to reduce by 
50 percent the predicted increase in global road deaths between 2010 
and 2020, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 74

       Whereas according to the 2004 World Report on Road Traffic 
     Injury Prevention, 40,000 people in the United States and 
     1,300,000 people globally die in road crashes each year;
       Whereas another 20,000,000 to 50,000,000 people globally 
     are injured each year as a result of speeding motor vehicles 
     and the increased use of motor vehicles;
       Whereas road crashes are the leading cause of death 
     globally for young people between the ages of 10 and 24 years 
     around the world;

[[Page H9828]]

       Whereas the current estimated monetary cost of motor 
     vehicle crashes worldwide is $518,000,000,000 annually, 
     representing between 3 and 5 percent of the gross domestic 
     product of each nation;
       Whereas according to the World Health Organization, over 90 
     percent of motorist-related deaths occur in low- and middle-
     income countries;
       Whereas according to the World Health Organization, 
     motorist-related deaths and costs continue to rise in these 
     countries due to a lack of appropriate road engineering and 
     injury prevention programs in public health sectors;
       Whereas the United States, other countries, and 
     international organizations should promote the improvement of 
     data collection and comparability, including by adopting the 
     standard definition of a road death as ``any person killed 
     immediately or dying within 30 days as a result of a road 
     traffic crash'' as standard definitions of injury, and the 
     facilitation of international cooperation to develop reliable 
     data systems and analytical capability;
       Whereas it is critical that the international community 
     support collaborative action to enhance global road safety 
     and reduce the risk of road crash death and injury around the 
     world by fostering partnerships and cooperation between 
     governments, private and public sectors, and within civil 
     society, as well as relationships between the National 
     Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other 
     national and international road safety authorities;
       Whereas the United Nations General Assembly adopted a 
     resolution in 2005 designating the third Sunday of November 
     as a day of remembrance for road crash victims and their 
     families, and calling on nations globally to improve road 
     safety;
       Whereas the United States Congress passed H. Con. Res. 87, 
     as well as S. Con. Res. 39, in the 110th Congress supporting 
     the goals and ideals of a world day of remembrance for road 
     crash victims;
       Whereas the United Nations General Assembly adopted a 
     resolution in 2008 highlighting the impact of global road 
     safety issues, encouraging nations to take action to reduce 
     road crash risks across the world, and creating the first 
     global high-level conference on road safety, to be hosted by 
     the Russian Federation in Moscow in November 2009; and
       Whereas the Ministerial Consultative Committee of the First 
     Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Moscow has 
     drafted a declaration to designate 2010-2020 as the ``Decade 
     of Action for Road Safety'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of a decade of action for 
     road safety with a global target to reduce by 50 percent the 
     predicted increase in global road deaths between 2010 and 
     2020;
       (2) urges the Obama Administration and the Department of 
     State, in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic 
     Safety Administration (NHTSA), to set ambitious road traffic 
     casualty reduction targets for United States citizens 
     traveling abroad and at home;
       (3) encourages enhancement of global efforts, including 
     international harmonization of road safety regulations and 
     good practices, to improve road safety and reduce road crash 
     deaths and injuries; and
       (4) urges the Obama Administration to take a leadership 
     role at the First Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in 
     Moscow and for the United States to work with nations around 
     the world to achieve the goals and ideals of a decade of 
     action for road safety.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Watson) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATSON. I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Road 
crashes are a worldwide epidemic that annually take the lives of 1.2 
million people and that injure 50 million others.
  While the Congress has admirably focused on the fight against 
infectious disease, such as HIV and AIDS and malaria, while it has 
improved access to clean drinking water and while it has focused on 
other critical global health issues, not enough attention has been paid 
to those whose lives have been lost in road accidents.
  A road accident is the leading cause of death among young people 
around the world, 85 percent of which occur in low- and middle-income 
countries. Yet all too often, these road accidents could have been 
prevented by better driver and pedestrian education and by improved 
engineering. In many countries, safety precautions that we take for 
granted, such as sidewalks, guardrails and crosswalks, simply don't 
exist. Pedestrians cross streets at their peril, and drivers use roads 
without lane markings or traffic lights. With more drivers taking to 
the roads in developing countries, global road deaths are likely to 
increase in the decade to come.
  The U.S. and the international community can prevent many of these 
accidents by promoting improved data collection techniques, by 
supporting collaborative efforts to reduce the risks of road crash 
deaths and by fostering partnerships and cooperation between 
governments, the private and public sectors and within civil society.
  We have no excuse for not taking a more aggressive approach to 
preventing millions of deaths and injuries along the world's roads and 
highways. I urge my colleagues to join me in raising awareness of the 
importance of reducing global road deaths and injuries by supporting 
this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 74 notes the importance of 
the goals and ideals of a decade of action for road safety. As this 
measure reminds us, 40,000 people in the United States and 1.3 million 
people worldwide die in road crashes each year, and many more are 
injured. Road crashes are the leading cause of death globally for young 
people. In light of these facts, we ought to explore ways to do more to 
help prevent road crash-related deaths and injuries.
  This resolution expresses support for the goals of a decade of action 
for road safety. It urges the Obama administration, the Department of 
State, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to set 
ambitious road traffic casualty reduction targets for American 
citizens. Finally, it urges the administration to work with nations 
around the world to achieve the goals and ideals of a decade of action 
for road safety.
  I would like to thank my colleague and good friend from Florida (Mr. 
Wexler) for introducing this important measure, which I am pleased to 
support.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the sponsor of the 
bill, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler).
  Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, as a co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on 
Global Road Safety, I, along with the other co-Chairs, introduced House 
Concurrent Resolution 74 earlier this year to shed light on an epidemic 
too few in this country or around the world comprehend: the devastating 
toll of deaths and injuries from road crashes.
  I want to especially thank Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Ros-
Lehtinen for their extraordinary help in bringing this resolution to 
the floor as well as the several colleagues who joined with me in 
supporting this resolution.
  According to the ``World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention'' 
study, which was produced in conjunction with the World Health 
Organization and the World Bank, every year road travel causes 1.3 
million deaths and 50 million injuries. This is the equivalent of 10 
jumbo jets crashing every day. Sadly, many of these deaths and injuries 
are preventable.
  The upcoming Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Moscow, which 
was inspired by the passing of United Nations Resolution 62/244 on 
March 31, 2008, is the culmination of a 5-year effort by a global 
community of stakeholders from multilateral and bilateral institutions, 
from governmental and nongovernmental organizations and from academia 
and civil society to raise international awareness and to call for a 
global response commensurate with the magnitude of the worldwide road 
traffic injury and fatality epidemic.
  The conference will work to establish new benchmarks for best 
practices and road traffic injury prevention. It will encourage 
regional casualty reduction targets, and it will provide a new 
framework for international cooperation on global road safety.

[[Page H9829]]

  Mr. Van Hollen of Maryland, Mr. Burton of Indiana, and I, as co-
Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety, encourage the 
Obama administration to take a strong leadership role at this 
conference.
  It is in this vein that I introduced this resolution which supports 
the goals and ideals of a decade of action for road safety with a 
global target to reduce by 50 percent the predicted increase in global 
road deaths between 2010 and 2020.
  This resolution also urges the Obama administration and the 
Department of State, in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic 
Safety Administration, to set ambitious road traffic casualty reduction 
targets for American citizens traveling abroad and to work with foreign 
governments and with international organizations to harmonize road 
safety regulations and good practices.
  Finally, it urges the Obama administration to take a leadership role 
at the first Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Moscow in late 
November of this year, and it urges the United States to work with 
nations around the world to achieve the goals and ideals of a decade of 
action for road safety and to reduce the impact of this public health 
epidemic in the global community.
  Mr. Speaker, road safety is a rapidly growing problem throughout the 
developed and developing worlds alike that respects no boundaries of 
geography, nationality, race, age, gender or socioeconomic status. 
Furthermore, it is a problem that uniquely spans many key areas of 
concern for Members of Congress and their constituents, not the least 
of which is the health and safety of American citizens both at home and 
abroad.
  Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I would like to congratulate Mr. Wexler for 
introducing this resolution to enhance global road safety and to reduce 
the risk of road crash deaths and injuries around the world by 
fostering partnerships in cooperation between governments, public and 
private sectors and within civil society. I support the measure.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Con. Res. 74, which supports the goals and ideals of a decade of action 
for road safety with a global target to reduce by 50 percent the 
predicted increase in global road deaths between 2010 and 2020. Road 
safety is a critical issue not only in my district and across the 
country, but in countries around the world.
  As the Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation 
Security and Infrastructure Protection, I believe that road safety is a 
critical component of protecting the nation. I fought for the building 
of infrastructure for safe roads in my district and I believe that this 
fight should be extended on a national and a global scale. According to 
the World Health Organization, WHO, the rise in both fatalities from 
motor vehicle deaths and subsequent costs is caused by the lack of 
appropriate road engineering and safety promotion in the public health 
sector.
  My home State of Texas is afflicted by the scourge of road 
fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, in 2008, there were 3,382 deaths across the state with 
1,552 of those traffic fatalities occurring in urban areas such as my 
district in Houston, Texas. In 2007 there were 209 road deaths in 
Houston, Texas, killing nearly 10 people for every 100,000. According 
to the 2004 World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, 40,000 
people die each year in road crashes in the United States alone.
  Across the globe, 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year. 
Another 20 to 50 million people across the globe are injured in motor 
vehicle accidents, often as a result of speeding. Road crashes are the 
number one killer of young people between the ages of 10 and 24 world-
wide. Road crashes not only bring tragedy and devastation to the lives 
of the victims and their families, they are also extremely costly. The 
estimated monetary cost of motor vehicle crashes is nearly $520 
billion, or roughly 3 to 5 percent of the cumulative gross domestic 
product of the world.
  The tragedy of road accidents is not only the economic loss, pain and 
suffering, and loss of life but also the knowledge that road crashes 
can be prevented. I applaud the efforts of the Ministerial Consultative 
Committee, which drafted a declaration for the First Global Ministerial 
Conference on Road Safety in Moscow to designate 2010-2020 as the 
``Decade for Action on Road Safety.'' I hope that this conference will 
succeed in increasing the global awareness on road safety and generate 
meaningful action against road fatalities.
  Road safety is an international effort that almost everyone can 
support. More than 90 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities occur in 
low- and middle-income countries. I believe the efforts to raise 
awareness for the need for road safety and strong action to help reduce 
motor vehicle fatalities will help our standing in those countries that 
need it the most. I strongly urge passage of this important Resolution.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 74, as 
amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________