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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Among states with populations greater than five |
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million, the State of Texas has the nation's second-highest rate of |
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traffic deaths per capita; and |
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WHEREAS, Every day, 10 people die on Texas roads, and 50 |
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suffer debilitating, life-changing injuries in traffic accidents; |
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federal transportation laws already require each state to develop a |
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strategic highway safety plan that focuses the efforts of all |
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safety partners on the highest priority needs, but what Texas |
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requires is the unification of stakeholders in support of an |
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overarching program designed to end acceptance of traffic mayhem as |
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a normative occurrence; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1997, Sweden adopted Vision Zero, a systems |
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approach to enhancing traffic safety; it places core responsibility |
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for crashes on overall system design, addressing safety through |
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infrastructure design, vehicle technology, and enforcement; as a |
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result of this bold initiative, the Scandinavian nation now has one |
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of the lowest annual rates of road deaths in the world, with only 3 |
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out of 100,000, roughly a quarter of the rate in the United States; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Other European countries have significantly reduced |
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fatalities through Vision Zero initiatives, and Spain more than |
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halved its number of traffic deaths; in the United States, Vision |
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Zero has proven effective in many places, reducing fatalities by 40 |
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percent or more in Minnesota, Utah, and Washington State; New York |
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City achieved a tremendous reduction in pedestrian fatalities, |
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which in 2014 fell to the lowest number since records began about a |
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century ago; and |
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WHEREAS, Vision Zero is based on four principles: ethics, |
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responsibility, system safety, and mechanisms for change; human |
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life and health are paramount, providers and regulators of road |
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traffic systems share responsibility with users, and systems should |
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take account of human fallibility to minimize opportunities for |
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error and the harm done when mistakes occur; finally, providers and |
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regulators must do their utmost to guarantee the safety of all |
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citizens, cooperating with road users, and all three elements must |
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be prepared to undergo necessary change; and |
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WHEREAS, Loss of life is not an acceptable price to pay for |
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mobility, and the state must take a more comprehensive approach to |
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traffic safety, guided by a zero-fatality goal; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby direct the Texas Department of Transportation to adopt a |
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Vision Zero strategy to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward an |
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official copy of this resolution to the chair of the Texas |
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Transportation Commission and the executive director of the Texas |
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Department of Transportation. |
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