The Honorable Kamala D.

Harris
US Senator for California

Dear Senator Harris:

My name is Sophia Lazarus and I am a senior at Riverside Polytechnic High School located at 5450
Victoria Ave, Riverside CA 92506. In order to meet a Riverside Unified School District graduation
curriculum requirement, I am in the process of preparing and completing my “Senior Capstone”
project. The underlying concept of the project is to allow students to pursue making a positive change
in their community by 1) identifying a problem that could be potentially harmful or detrimental to
members of the community; 2) conducting research regarding the primary or root causes of the
problem; 3) formulating a reasonable solution to eliminate or reduce the problem; and 4)
communicating the problem and solution to fellow community members through presentation and
creation of a website.

For my Senior Capstone project, I chose to investigate and create awareness of problems relating to
distracted teen driving. Cell phone related distractions while driving an automobile have resulted in
excessive teen injuries and/or death. Recent statistics indicate that approximately 10% of teen drivers
are involved in driving fatalities due to predominantly cellphone distractions. Through my research, I
want to answer the following questions: 1) Why do teens use their cell phones while driving? 2) What
actions can be taken to change the mindset of teens to decrease the rate of injuries and death behind the
wheel? 3) What are the health and financial consequences resulting from distracted teen driving
incidents? 4) What technology currently exists or is under development that prohibits the use of
cellphones while driving? and 5) Are there current or pending laws requiring technology in
automobiles to restrict cellphone usage?

I will be contacting insurance agencies, E.R doctors, automobile manufacturers, and local, state, and
federal political representatives for information and insights on my topic.

Thank you very much for your attention and response.

Respectfully yours

Sophia Lazarus

If you don’t mind, please answer the following questions to contribute to my project. I would greatly
appreciate a response at your earliest convenience.

1. Within your political jurisdiction, is there any current or pending legislation requiring technology
that restricts the use of cell phones in automobiles? Please elaborate.
2. Do you have any comments or personal insights regarding the high incidence of teen texting while
driving?