May 13, 2025
Mr. Mullin introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study on the effect of driver-controlled technology in motor vehicles with respect to severe traffic injuries and traffic fatalities, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Driver Technology and Pedestrian Safety Act of 2025
.
Sec. 2. Driver-controlled technology safety study
(a) Driver-Controlled technology safety study agreement
Subject to the availability of appropriations, not later than 3 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine—
(1)
to conduct a study on the effect of driver-controlled technology with respect to severe traffic injuries and traffic fatalities, including severe injuries and fatalities of pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users; and
(2)
to prepare the recommendations described in section 3.
(b) Period of time To be studied
The Secretary of Transportation shall determine the period of time to be studied under subsection (a), which shall be a period of time that began not later than 10 years before the date on which the Secretary enters into the agreement under subsection (a).
(c) Information
The study described in subsection (a) shall address the following information:
(1)
The prevalence and characteristics of touch screen-based systems.
(2)
The impact on driver distraction, property damage, severe traffic injuries, and traffic fatalities as a result of the following:
(A)
Replacing tactile motor vehicle controls with touch screen-based systems.
(B)
The characteristics of such systems, including brightness and size.
(C)
Driver-controlled technology that is not a touch screen-based system.
(3)
The user interface designs of touch screen-based systems and other driver-controlled technology, and the effect of those designs on driver behavior.
(4)
A comparison of—
(A)
the extent to which viewing or manipulating a touch screen-based system while driving a motor vehicle results in a severe traffic injury or a traffic fatality; and
(B)
the extent to which viewing or manipulating a smartphone, other than a smartphone that is projecting a user interface to a touch screen-based system, while driving a motor vehicle results in a severe traffic injury or a traffic fatality.
(5)
Whether the time of day and other road conditions, including traffic, weather, and the number of commercial motor vehicles on a road, have a significant effect on the incidence of severe traffic injuries and traffic fatalities, the extent of any effect, the likely reasons for any effect, whether any effect varies between the United States and other countries, and any changes to touch screen-based systems and other driver-controlled technology that may help mitigate any effect.
(6)
Any other information that is relevant to the study, which may include a previous study.
Sec. 3. Report and recommendations
(a) Report
Not later than 24 months after the date on which the Secretary of Transportation enters into an agreement under section 2, the Secretary shall—
(1)
submit to Congress a report that includes the findings of the study under section 2; and
(2)
publish the report on the public website of the Department of Transportation.
(b) Recommendations
Not later than 2 months after the date on which the Secretary of Transportation satisfies the requirements of subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress recommendations that are based on the findings of the study under section 2, including recommendations—
(1)
to reduce severe traffic injuries and traffic fatalities; and
(2)
to change the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the National Occupant Protection Use Surveys, and the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or another set of Federal surveys, to collect as much data as practicable with respect to the use of a touch screen-based system while driving a motor vehicle and the use of a smartphone while driving a motor vehicle, given the variation in the methods of data collection by States and units of local government.
(c) Categories
In submitting the recommendations described in subsection (b), the Secretary of Transportation—
(1)
may not include a recommendation that only restates an existing requirement for a department or agency of the Federal Government; and
(2)
shall divide the recommendations into the following categories:
(A)
Any recommendations that a department or agency of the Federal Government, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, may implement under the existing authority of the department or agency, including any authority of the department or agency to develop or update guidance or standards on motor vehicle technology.
(B)
Any recommendations that would require the enactment of Federal law for a department or agency of the Federal Government, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to implement.
Sec. 4. Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Commercial motor vehicle
The term commercial motor vehicle means any of the following:
(A)
A commercial motor vehicle, as that term is defined under section 31132 of title 49, United States Code.
(B)
A vehicle owned or operated by a transportation network company, as that term is defined under section 346 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 10 U.S.C. 113 note).
(2) Driver-controlled technology
The term driver-controlled technology—
(A)
means the controls and functions of a motor vehicle that are engaged at the option of a driver of the motor vehicle;
(B)
includes the functions that are related to driving, are not related to the safe operation of the motor vehicle, and do not involve the use of a system that is required by law;
(C)
includes a touch screen-based system; and
(D)
does not include any functions that are engaged by default as the motor vehicle is driven, such as automatic braking, cameras, and dynamic lighting.
(3) Motor vehicle
The term motor vehicle means a passenger motor vehicle, as that term is defined under section 32101 of title 49, United States Code.
(4) Tactile motor vehicle control
The term tactile motor vehicle control means a knob, a switch, a trackpad, or another physical control, that is in a motor vehicle and is not a touch screen.
(5) Touch screen-based system
The term touch screen-based system means a computer that—
(A)
is in a motor vehicle;
(B)
controls the functions of the motor vehicle, including the infotainment functions of the motor vehicle;
(C)
has a primary user interface that consists of a touch screen and on-screen software controls;
(D)
may be able to be manipulated by tactile motor vehicle controls; and
(E)
may be able to display a user interface that is projected from a smartphone.
Sec. 5. Rules of construction
(a) Regulations
This Act shall not be construed to preclude or delay the promulgation of any regulation required or authorized by law.
(b) Deference
If a court finds that a term used in this Act is ambiguous, the court shall defer to a reasonable interpretation of the term by the Secretary of Transportation.