82R5232 JGH-D
By: Kolkhorst H.R. No. 216
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Teens in the Driver Seat program of the Texas
Transportation Institute has helped significantly to raise
awareness and save lives in the State of Texas; and
WHEREAS, Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death
for young people, with some 5,000 teenagers nationwide and nearly
500 in Texas lost annually; in addition, for every teenager killed
in an automobile accident, 50 more are seriously injured, making
teen-driver crashes one of the most urgent safety and public health
crises now facing our state and nation; and
WHEREAS, Experts believe that to change this situation
substantially, it is essential that young people themselves play a
more active and productive role in improving roadway safety; and
WHEREAS, A growing number of Texas teenagers have dedicated
themselves to this important safety mission through their
involvement in the Teens in the Driver Seat program, created by the
Texas Transportation Institute and sponsored by the Texas
Department of Transportation and State Farm Insurance; Teens in the
Driver Seat has now been introduced in more than 400 Texas schools;
and
WHEREAS, Since the inception of this program, the number of
teens killed in crashes involving teen drivers in Texas has dropped
32 percent, a decline that is more than twice the national average;
and
WHEREAS, Teens in the Driver Seat has vividly demonstrated
its effectiveness and lifesaving potential, and its many leaders
and participants are making a vital contribution to their schools,
their communities, and the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby recognize the Teens in the Driver Seat program
for its effectiveness in reducing the number of teenage-driver
automobile accidents and extend to all those associated with the
program sincere best wishes for continued success with their
crucial endeavors.