Press Release: Congressional Resolution Would Address Teen Driver Deaths

WASHINGTON, June 6 -- Congressman Charlie Dent (R- PA) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) joined with over 50 co-sponsors today to introduce a bipartisan resolution in Congress that would establish the third week in October as National Teen Driver Safety Week.

The introduction of the resolution follows several tragic and highly-publicized accidents involving Pennsylvania high school students. In 2005, 7,500 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 years were involved in fatal crashes throughout the United States; of these, 221 occurred in Pennsylvania. The majority of these crashes can be attributed to inexperience and driver error -- such as failure to detect and react to hazards, non-use of seat belts, or speeding. Alcohol was a factor in less than half of these fatal accidents.