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WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh holds the health and safety of its young adults as a chief concern; and,
WHEREAS, text messaging is the primary mode of communication for most American teenagers with half of all teens sending between 21 and 70 texts a day, averaging about 7 text messages per hour; and,
WHEREAS, 90% of American teenagers expect a reply to a text message within five minutes; and,
WHEREAS, texting, which takes one's eyes off the road for an average of five seconds, has resulted in more than 100,000 crashes per year, causing life-changing and deadly injuries; and,
WHEREAS, in an AT&T survey, 43% of American teenage drivers admitted to texting while driving even though 97% know it is dangerous, and 77% of teens have seen their parents text while driving; and,
WHEREAS, a Virginia Tech study showed those who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to crash;
WHEREAS, a driver that sends a text message while driving not only jeopardizes his or her safety, but also the safety of passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers;
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare September 19, 2012 to be "No Text On Board - Pledge Day" in the City of Pittsburgh.