H.R. No. 1949
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Teens in the Driver Seat program is marking the
15th anniversary of its founding in May 2017; and
WHEREAS, Launched in 2002 by the Texas A&M Transportation
Institute, with sponsorship from the Texas Department of
Transportation and State Farm Insurance, Teens in the Driver Seat
seeks to address the issue of motor vehicle crashes as the leading
cause of death for young people in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Each year, thousands of teenagers nationwide,
including hundreds in Texas, are killed in vehicle collisions, and
many times that number sustain serious injuries; TDS works to
empower teen drivers and passengers to speak out about unsafe
driving behaviors and to educate their peers, families, and
communities on seat belt safety, speeding, and impaired, drowsy,
and distracted driving; the nonprofit program also maintains a Teen
Advisory Board, whose members regularly engage in such activities
as traffic safety fairs, speaker assemblies, grassroots on-campus
outreach, and the annual Teen Driver Safety Summit; and
WHEREAS, TDS has been implemented in nearly 1,000 junior high
and high schools in Texas, and it has served more than 1.3 million
students across the country; moreover, it has been cited as a
leading contributor to the recent decline in fatal crashes
involving young drivers in the Lone Star State; the program has won
numerous awards, and it has been honored four times as a best
practices model by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the
Governors Highway Safety Association, and the National Safety
Council; and
WHEREAS, For the past decade and a half, Teens in the Driver
Seat has played a vital role in addressing one of the most urgent
safety and public health issues facing our state and nation, and it
is indeed worthy of recognition for the positive impact it has had
on countless young lives; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Teens in
the Driver Seat program and extend to all those associated with the
initiative sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the program as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Bernal
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1949 was adopted by the House on May
12, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House