[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10051 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10051
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 25, 2024
Mr. Mullin introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Driver Technology and Pedestrian
Safety Act of 2024''.
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.
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