Driver Technology and Pedestrian Safety

Summary#

This bill directs the Secretary of Transportation, subject to available appropriations, to seek an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study how driver-controlled technology in motor vehicles affects severe traffic injuries and traffic fatalities. The study must cover touch screen–based systems (including replacing physical controls, brightness, and size), other driver-controlled technology, user interface designs, and a comparison of touch screens versus smartphone use while driving. The Secretary will choose a study period that starts no earlier than 10 years before the agreement. The study must consider time of day, road and weather conditions, and other relevant factors. The Department must submit a public report to Congress within 24 months after the agreement and publish it online. Within 2 months after the report, the Secretary must send recommendations to Congress. Recommendations must be divided into ones agencies can implement now under existing authority and ones that would require new Federal law. The bill does not itself impose new vehicle rules and says it does not block or delay other regulations; courts should defer to DOT on ambiguous terms.

What it means for you#

• The bill creates a federal study, not immediate new rules for drivers or automakers.
• The study’s findings and later recommendations could lead to changes in vehicle user interfaces, safety guidance, or federal data collection about touch screen and smartphone use while driving.
• The public will be able to read the study report on the Department of Transportation website after it is published.

Expenses#

• The bill is subject to the availability of appropriations.
• No publicly available information on estimated federal cost or funding levels is included in the bill text.
• Key timing in the bill: DOT must seek the agreement within 3 months of enactment; the study report is due to Congress and must be published within 24 months after DOT enters the agreement; recommendations are due 2 months after the report.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.