NATIONAL TEEN DRIVING SAFETY WEEK DECLARED IN PENNSYLVANIA

 HARRISBURG, OCT. 16 – State Sen. Connie Williams asked her colleagues to join with her in protecting Pennsylvania's young people by observing National Teen Driving Safety Week in Pennsylvania.

 National Teen Driving Safety Week began Oct. 15^th and will continue through Oct. 20^th in Pennsylvania, in other states and on a national level. The purpose of the week is to encourage people to promote the practice of safe driving among licensed teen drivers.

 "We know that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 16- to 20-year-olds," Williams said. "Many of these deaths can be prevented through education and raising awareness. By simply helping new drivers to reduce driver error and speeding, we will save young lives. And, by having experienced drivers set positive examples of responsible driving, young lives will be saved."

 While talking about the issue of teen driving, Williams highlighted the results of a teen driving survey conducted by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The group surveyed 5,600 students in ninth through 11^th grade to identify some of the rationale behind the statistics on teen drivers and to provide information to parents, educators, advocates, researchers and policymakers who are in a position to help teens become safer drivers.

 Some of the risk factors and risky behaviors identified by the teens surveyed included: the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, nighttime and fatigued driving, speeding, distractions (such as loud music, other teen passengers and heightened emotions) and inconsistent use of seatbelts.

 "If you look combine these risk factors with a lack of driving experience you can easily see why motor vehicle crashes are so common among young drivers," Williams said. "That being said, however, I think experienced drivers also must acknowledge that these risks also pose a distraction and therefore a driving hazard to them as well. I hope that by declaring National Teen Driver Safety Week in Pennsylvania we can start to raise awareness to driving safety for all drivers."

 Williams has offered legislation to address some of the risks. One of her bills (S.B. 1098) would ban the use of mobile phones by drivers under 18, except to report an accident or emergency.

 According to the teen survey by Children's Hospital, nine out of 10 teens said it was common to see teens driving while talking on a cell phone and 48 percent said they talked on the cell phone at least sometimes while driving.

 There are more than 230 million wireless subscribers in the United States and as many as 73 percent of drivers use phones.

 "Obviously, this is one driver distraction that impacts every individual on the road today," Williams said. "By simply switching to a hands-free device or pulling off the roadway when you need to make a phone call you will save lives and make our roadways safer for other drivers and their passengers."

 Another issue is the use of seatbelts. Williams sponsored legislation (S.B. 42) that would make seatbelt violations a primary offense in Pennsylvania.

 According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, if 100 percent of the occupants of passenger cars involved in vehicle accidents in 2006 had worn seatbelts, the Commonwealth would have saved approximately $160 for every man, woman and child in Pennsylvania, or around $1.99 billion.

 "While some may point to this as the price tag for not wearing seatbelts, I think the real price tag is found in the 315 people who's lives were tragically cut short, because they didn't wear a seatbelt," Williams said. "A primary law allows law enforcement officers to stop a vehicle and cite a driver if an officer observes an unbelted driver or front seat passenger."