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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Teens in the Driver Seat program is marking the |
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| 6 | 7 | | 15th anniversary of its founding in May 2017; and |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Launched in 2002 by the Texas A&M Transportation |
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| 8 | 9 | | Institute, with sponsorship from the Texas Department of |
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| 9 | 10 | | Transportation and State Farm Insurance, Teens in the Driver Seat |
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| 10 | 11 | | seeks to address the issue of motor vehicle crashes as the leading |
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| 11 | 12 | | cause of death for young people in the United States; and |
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| 12 | 13 | | WHEREAS, Each year, thousands of teenagers nationwide, |
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| 13 | 14 | | including hundreds in Texas, are killed in vehicle collisions, and |
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| 14 | 15 | | many times that number sustain serious injuries; TDS works to |
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| 15 | 16 | | empower teen drivers and passengers to speak out about unsafe |
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| 16 | 17 | | driving behaviors and to educate their peers, families, and |
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| 17 | 18 | | communities on seat belt safety, speeding, and impaired, drowsy, |
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| 18 | 19 | | and distracted driving; the nonprofit program also maintains a Teen |
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| 19 | 20 | | Advisory Board, whose members regularly engage in such activities |
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| 20 | 21 | | as traffic safety fairs, speaker assemblies, grassroots on-campus |
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| 21 | 22 | | outreach, and the annual Teen Driver Safety Summit; and |
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| 22 | 23 | | WHEREAS, TDS has been implemented in nearly 1,000 junior high |
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| 23 | 24 | | and high schools in Texas, and it has served more than 1.3 million |
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| 24 | 25 | | students across the country; moreover, it has been cited as a |
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| 25 | 26 | | leading contributor to the recent decline in fatal crashes |
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| 26 | 27 | | involving young drivers in the Lone Star State; the program has won |
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| 27 | 28 | | numerous awards, and it has been honored four times as a best |
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| 28 | 29 | | practices model by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the |
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| 29 | 30 | | Governors Highway Safety Association, and the National Safety |
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| 30 | 31 | | Council; and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, For the past decade and a half, Teens in the Driver |
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| 32 | 33 | | Seat has played a vital role in addressing one of the most urgent |
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| 33 | 34 | | safety and public health issues facing our state and nation, and it |
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| 34 | 35 | | is indeed worthy of recognition for the positive impact it has had |
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| 35 | 36 | | on countless young lives; now, therefore, be it |
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| 36 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 37 | 38 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Teens in |
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| 38 | 39 | | the Driver Seat program and extend to all those associated with the |
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| 39 | 40 | | initiative sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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| 40 | 41 | | further |
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| 41 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 42 | 43 | | prepared for the program as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 43 | 44 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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