BILL NUMBER: HR 7AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 2, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Eng ( Coauthors: Assembly Members Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Conway, Cook, Coto, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Evans, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Tran, Villines, and Yamada ) FEBRUARY 12, 2009 Relative to Teen Driving Safety Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST WHEREAS, Although driver's education is required in California's public education curriculum, there are no in-car driver training courses in California's high schools and only about one-third of high schools offer driver's education due to budget and staff limitations; and WHEREAS, A 16-year-old soccer player may have approximately 1,500 hours of coached soccer practice, but only 50 hours of driving practice before obtaining his or her driver's license; and WHEREAS, Law enforcement and other first responders and teachers, parents, and friends of teenage drivers are all deeply impacted by the loss of teenage drivers in fatal motor vehicle accidents on California's roadways; and WHEREAS, Drivers in California who are between 15 years of age and 19 years of age are at least three times more likely than drivers 30 years of age or older to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle collision; and WHEREAS, Seventy-seven percent of 16-year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents in California were at fault; and WHEREAS, Although California has the highest rate of seatbelt usage in the nation, 37 percent of 16-year-old passengers who died in motor vehicle collisions in California were not wearing seatbelts; and WHEREAS, Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death of teenagers, accounting for 40 percent of all teenage deaths; and WHEREAS, The majority of teenage driver motor vehicle collisions in the United States are due to driver distractions and speeding, and 15 percent are due to drunk driving; and WHEREAS, Approximately two-thirds of teenage passenger deaths, involving persons 13 years of age to 19 years of age, occur when other teenagers are driving; and WHEREAS, One in three teenage drivers is involved in a motor vehicle accident during the first year of driving; and WHEREAS, It is necessary to raise awareness, and to reach teenagers, parents, and teachers, to influence change in risky driving behavior in order to reduce the number of teenagers killed on California's roadways each year; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly hereby proclaims the week of March 9, 2009, as "Teen Driving Safety Week" and urges Californians, with the help of law enforcement organizations, teachers, parents, students, and the IMPACT Teen Driver's Campaign, to observe Teen Driving Safety Week with appropriate activities that promote safe driving practices among teenage drivers; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution. ____ CORRECTIONS Coauthors--Line 4. ____