[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 70 (Monday, April 28, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING APRIL AS DISTRACTED DRIVING AWARENESS MONTH

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                     HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 28, 2025

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize April as 
Distracted Driving Awareness Month, as part of ongoing efforts to 
educate our communities about the dangers of inattentive driving and to 
promote safer streets.
  On average, nine people a day are killed in a distracted driving 
crash. Texting and cell phone use while driving is the most common type 
of unfocused driving; however, any action that takes a drivers' 
attention away from the road is distracted driving and is extremely 
dangerous.
  Texting while driving is especially prevalent among younger drivers, 
with 39 percent of high school students reporting texting or emailing 
while driving during the past month, according to a 2019 CDC study. 
Even though 48 states have banned texting and driving, including 
Florida, drivers engage in this behavior anyway.
  That is why I am proud to uplift leaders in my district who are 
taking action this month to educate Floridian students and families 
about the importance of attentive driving. The Students Against 
Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter at Hollywood Hills High School and 
the Florida Teen Safe Driver Coalition's April Safety Awareness 
Campaign truly shows the power of community-based advocacy.
  Throughout my time in Congress, I have focused on road safety, 
especially for our teens. So, in recognition of Distracted Driving 
Awareness Month, I will take the following pledge from the National 
Safety Council and encourage others to do the same:
  ``For my friends, my family, and anyone else who may have fond 
feelings toward me, I pledge not to drive distracted or recklessly. For 
every person I may never meet, but share the road with, I pledge to 
give driving the 100 percent attention it deserves.''

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