[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 22221-22222]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 615--DESIGNATING NOVEMBER 26, 2006, AS ``DRIVE SAFER 
                                SUNDAY''

  Mr. CHAMBLISS (for himself and Mr. Isakson) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 516

       Whereas motor vehicle travel is the primary means of 
     transportation in the United States;
       Whereas everyone on the roads and highways needs to drive 
     more safely to reduce deaths and injuries resulting from 
     motor vehicle accidents;
       Whereas the death of almost 43,000 people a year in more 
     than 6 million highway crashes in the United States has been 
     called an epidemic by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta;
       Whereas according to the National Highway Transportation 
     Safety Administration, wearing a seat belt saved 15,434 lives 
     in 2004 and 15,632 lives in 2005; and
       Whereas the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest 
     highway traffic day of the year: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) encourages--
       (A) high schools, colleges, universities, administrators, 
     teachers, primary schools, and secondary schools to launch 
     campus-wide educational campaigns to urge students to be 
     careful about safety when driving;
       (B) national trucking firms to alert their drivers to be 
     especially focused on driving safely during the heaviest 
     traffic day of the year, and to publicize the importance of 
     the day using Citizen's band (CB) radios and in truck stops 
     across the Nation;
       (C) clergy to remind their members to travel safely when 
     attending services and gatherings;
       (D) law enforcement personnel to remind drivers and 
     passengers to drive particularly safely on the Sunday after 
     Thanksgiving; and
       (E) everyone to use the Sunday after Thanksgiving as an 
     opportunity to educate themselves about highway safety; and
       (2) designates November 26, 2006, as ``Drive Safer 
     Sunday''.

  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I am submitting a resolution to 
designate Sunday, November 26, 2006, as Drive Safer Sunday.
  Motor vehicle travel is the primary source of travel in the United 
States and statistics show that the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the 
busiest highway traffic day of the year. Too many holidays end 
tragically due to the careless and reckless behavior of motorists and I 
hope that this resolution will raise awareness and help save lives. It 
should also serve as a reminder to those traveling over Thanksgiving 
holidays and all year long to be vigilant, alert, and careful.
  Steve and Susan Owings are constituents of mine in Atlanta, GA. In 
2002, their son Cullum Owings was in a fatal crash on the Sunday after 
Thanksgiving while traveling back to college. This resolution is in 
honor of Cullum, and designed with the hope that other families like 
the Owings, will not have to suffer such a tragic loss.
  According to the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, our 
Georgia roads had 348,040 crashes with 1,744 fatalities in 2005. Two of 
the major contributing factors to the loss of life in these crashes 
were speeding and unrestrained passengers.
  According to the National Highway Transportation Safety 
Administration,
  An estimated 15,434 lives in 2004 and 15,632 lives in 2005 were saved 
as a result of passengers wearing their seatbelts.
  Safety belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front 
seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent.
  Six out of 10 children who died in passenger vehicle crashes were 
unbelted.
  At least 4 percent of automobile crashes are the result of distracted 
driving.
  An average 119 people died each day as a result of motor crashes in 
2005--an average of one every 12 minutes.
  From 1975 through 2005, an estimated 211,128 lives were saved by 
safety belts.

[[Page 22222]]

  From 1975 through 2005, an estimated 7,896 lives were saved by child 
restraints.
  In 2005, 68 percent of pickup drivers killed in traffic crashes were 
not using a safety belt.
  With families traveling to see relatives and students nationwide 
trying to get back to school, America's highways and interstates are 
highly congested and present many opportunities for dangerous or fatal 
accidents. This resolution encourages automobile drivers, truckers, 
passengers, and law enforcement agencies to work together to make the 
highways a safer place this Sunday after Thanksgiving. It also 
encourages all Americans to slow down, wear their seatbelts, use 
signals, and be aware of all the other cars and trucks on the road. It 
is my hope that we can all work together to reduce the number of 
injuries and fatalities that result from car crashes while keeping 
families happy and together.

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