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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, Tow trucks and their drivers have become an |
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| 6 | 7 | | indispensable part of our automotive culture, providing welcome |
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| 7 | 8 | | assistance to stranded motorists and helping to clear traffic |
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| 8 | 9 | | crashes throughout the nation; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, More than 35,000 towing companies operate in the |
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| 10 | 11 | | United States, and these businesses employ hundreds of thousands of |
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| 11 | 12 | | people, including dispatchers and safety advisors in addition to |
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| 12 | 13 | | tow truck operators; these dedicated individuals respond to nearly |
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| 13 | 14 | | 15 million traffic accidents each year, coming to the aid of |
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| 14 | 15 | | motorists and first responders in all types of weather, at all hours |
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| 15 | 16 | | of the day and night; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Part of our nation's transportation system for the |
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| 17 | 18 | | past century, the towing industry traces its roots to 1916, when |
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| 18 | 19 | | Ernest Holmes of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was inspired to design the |
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| 19 | 20 | | first tow vehicle after assisting in the recovery of a crashed Model |
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| 20 | 21 | | T; Mr. Holmes and the company he founded went on to pioneer numerous |
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| 21 | 22 | | innovations in towing and produced such classic wreckers as the |
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| 22 | 23 | | W-45 model used by the U.S. military in World War II; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Since the earliest days of the industry, tow truck |
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| 24 | 25 | | drivers have faced considerable dangers while performing their |
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| 25 | 26 | | jobs; working in the midst of busy traffic and often in poor weather |
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| 26 | 27 | | conditions, operators regularly put their lives on the line, and an |
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| 27 | 28 | | average of one tow truck worker is killed every six days in the |
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| 28 | 29 | | United States; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, To lessen the hazards faced by these skilled |
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| 30 | 31 | | professionals, it is important for motorists to observe proper |
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| 31 | 32 | | safety precautions when they encounter tow trucks on the roadways, |
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| 32 | 33 | | including reducing their speed and moving over to provide |
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| 33 | 34 | | additional clearance between the line of traffic and the tow truck |
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| 34 | 35 | | and stranded vehicle; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, The towing industry provides essential services to |
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| 36 | 37 | | the public, keeping our roadways clear and open for travel, and its |
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| 37 | 38 | | workers are truly deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, |
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| 38 | 39 | | be it |
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| 39 | 40 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 40 | 41 | | Legislature hereby recognize the third week of September 2017 as |
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| 41 | 42 | | Towing Industry Awareness Week and extend to all those in the |
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| 42 | 43 | | industry sincere best wishes for the future. |
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