By:  Duncan                                            H.R. No. 564
       73R9152 JLZ-D
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, The citizens of Lubbock will soon join a vanguard of
    1-2  other progressive communities that have taken an active stand
    1-3  against needless and preventable childhood accidents when they
    1-4  celebrate the completion and grand opening of Lubbock's own Safety
    1-5  City on April 26, 1993; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, Modeled on similar projects that have proved highly
    1-7  successful in reducing the number of traffic-related accidents
    1-8  involving children, Lubbock's Safety City is a 2-1/2 acre miniature
    1-9  city complete with traffic signals, crosswalks, and small
   1-10  automobiles designed to teach traffic safety techniques to
   1-11  children; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, The value of these programs has been amply
   1-13  demonstrated both in recent studies and in the experience of other
   1-14  cities that have seen dramatic decreases in the number of serious
   1-15  injuries and fatalities suffered by children involved in traffic
   1-16  accidents; and
   1-17        WHEREAS, A study conducted in New York in 1985 concluded that
   1-18  children who learned hazard identification and avoidance in an
   1-19  experiential environment, which is the objective of programs such
   1-20  as Safety City, had 89 percent fewer accidents; Safety City
   1-21  programs in other cities have confirmed these findings, noting
   1-22  decreases of 50 percent or more in child pedestrian-automobile
   1-23  accident rates; and
   1-24        WHEREAS, Lubbock's Safety City will serve as a culminating
    2-1  activity for traffic safety courses taught as part of the second
    2-2  and fourth grade curricula in the Lubbock Independent School
    2-3  District and will allow young students an opportunity to practice
    2-4  in a realistic, hands-on setting and thus reinforce the valuable
    2-5  lessons they receive in the classroom; and
    2-6        WHEREAS, A superb example of public-private cooperation, the
    2-7  project has enjoyed considerable community support to ensure its
    2-8  success; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, Among the many contributors who joined forces in
   2-10  this endeavor are the Junior League of Lubbock, which initiated the
   2-11  project with its generous financial contribution and hours of
   2-12  volunteer labor, the city of Lubbock, which has provided both
   2-13  financial and staff support as well as the site, the Lubbock
   2-14  Independent School District, which is preparing the curriculum for
   2-15  the Safety City program, the Lubbock chapter of American Institute
   2-16  of Architects, whose members designed the course and the adjacent
   2-17  classrooms, and the many local businesses that have become involved
   2-18  as program sponsors; and
   2-19        WHEREAS, A truly cooperative venture uniting businesses,
   2-20  civic groups, parent-teacher organizations, and concerned
   2-21  individuals, Lubbock's Safety City project is the culmination of
   2-22  countless hours of hard work and dedication and an abiding concern
   2-23  for the well-being of all the community's children, and the
   2-24  organizers of this outstanding public service project indeed have
   2-25  merited the highest praise and recognition for their superb
   2-26  efforts; now, therefore, be it
   2-27        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas
    3-1  Legislature hereby commend the organizers and sponsors of Lubbock's
    3-2  Safety City for their outstanding dedication to preserving and
    3-3  protecting the community's most valuable resource and extend to
    3-4  them best wishes for the greatest success in this worthy endeavor;
    3-5  and, be it further
    3-6        RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
    3-7  for the Lubbock Safety City organizers and sponsors as an
    3-8  expression of high esteem by the Texas House of Representatives.