IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 493 

Recognizing the dangers of distracted driving. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 28, 2017 

Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI (for himself and Mr. HULTGREN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 

and Infrastructure 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the dangers of distracted driving. 

Whereas, in 2011, Congress passed the Safe Teen and Novice 

Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2011, which authorized 

the Secretary of Transportation to award incentive 

grants to States with graduated driver licensing laws that 

require novice drivers younger than age 21 to comply 

with a two-stage licensing process before receiving an unrestricted driver’s license; 

Whereas the two-stage process included a learner’s permit 

and a subsequent intermediate permit stage that prohibits the usage of cell phones or other communication 

devices in nonemergency situations; 

Whereas this law aimed to reduce instances of impaired driving, including distracted driving; 


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Whereas, in 2015, the National Safety Council reported that 

47 percent of drivers believe it is safe to send a text either manually or via voice-dictation system, 35 percent of 

teens use social media behind the wheel, and 54 percent 

of drivers feel pressure from work to drive distracted; 

Whereas, in 2016, about 40,000 people died in motor vehicle 

crashes, representing a 14 percent increase since 2014; 

Whereas, in 2016, the National Safety Council, the National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal 

Highway Administration, and the Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration all announced the Road to Zero 

initiative, with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities 

within 30 years; 

Whereas this coalition encourages a coordinated approach by 

local and State entities to increase driver safety; 

Whereas, in 2017, AT&T reported that while driving, nearly 

4 in 10 smartphone users tap into social media, almost 

3 in 10 surf the net, and surprisingly, 1 in 10 video chat; 

Whereas AT&T research reports that while texting and 

emailing remain the prevalent driver distraction, more 

than 1⁄4 polled reported using other social platforms, such 

as Facebook and Twitter, while driving; 

Whereas a shocking 1 in 7 reported they are active on Twitter from behind the wheel of a moving vehicle; 

Whereas the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

reports that distracted driving is a problem for all age 

groups, but especially for younger, novice drivers who use 

smartphones at a rate over two times higher than other 

age groups; 


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Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause 

of death for teens; 

Whereas 47 States and the District of Columbia now ban 

texting while driving, 15 States and the District of Columbia prohibit all hand held use of cell phones while 

driving, and 38 States and the District of Columbia ban 

all cell phone use by novice drivers; and 

Whereas Congress incentivizes States to ban all cell phone 

use for teen drivers, except in cases of emergency: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog2 nizes the dangers of distracted driving and expresses sup3 port for— 

4 (1) public and private efforts to educate the 

5 public about the dangers of distracted driving; 

6 (2) industry-led engineering solutions to reduce 

7 fatal crash risks as a result of distracted driving; 

8 (3) stronger enforcement of distracted driving 

9 laws; 

10 (4) the ‘‘It Can Wait’’ campaign created by 

11 AT&T to raise awareness of the dangers of texting 

12 and driving; and 

13 (5) the Road to Zero coalition and its efforts to 

14 encourage a holistic, safe system approach to imVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 29, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR493.IH HR493

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1 proving roadway safety, including reducing dis2 tracted driving and crashes related to it. 

Æ 


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