Legislation1w ago
42
To authorize implementation grants to community-based nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry centers.
HR8548Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA)
introduced
HR3360119th CongressWALLET
Driver Technology and Pedestrian Safety Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15]
In Committee
Summary
Driver-controlled technology safety. This bill would require the Transportation Secretary to commission a National Academies study on how touch screen and other driver-controlled systems affect driver distraction and severe injuries and fatalities, including for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Show full summary
- Families and vulnerable road users: The study would examine links between in-vehicle touch screens and severe injuries or deaths involving drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, and would offer recommendations to reduce those harms.
- Drivers and vehicle designers: It would compare touch screen controls, tactile controls, and smartphone use to study how user interface designs change driver behavior and crash risk, informing potential guidance or standards.
- Federal safety data and regulators: The Secretary would recommend changes to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, National Occupant Protection Use Surveys, and the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria to collect touchscreen and smartphone use data. The study would start quickly and the Secretary would report findings and recommendations to Congress and publish them publicly.
Your PRIA Score
Score Hidden
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
New definitions for vehicle technology
This bill would define key terms used in the study and any follow-on work. "Commercial motor vehicle" would include the definition in current law and vehicles used by transportation network companies. "Driver-controlled technology" would cover optional driver-engaged controls like touch screens and would exclude automatic safety features engaged by default. The bill would also define "tactile motor vehicle control" (knobs, switches, trackpads) and "touch screen-based system" (an in-vehicle computer with a primary touch-screen interface, which may show a smartphone interface). These definitions would shape who and what regulators study or regulate.
National study on vehicle touchscreen safety
This bill would require the Secretary of Transportation to ask the National Academies to study driver-controlled technology and its link to severe injuries and deaths. The Secretary would seek the agreement within 3 months of enactment and must study a period starting no earlier than 10 years before the agreement date. The study would examine touch screen systems, replacing knobs with touch screens, user interface design, comparisons to smartphone use (excluding phones that project to the car screen), and whether time of day or road conditions change risks. The Secretary would publish a report within 24 months after the agreement and send recommendations to Congress within 2 months after that report is published. The study effort would be subject to the availability of appropriations.
Agency authority and court deference
This bill would tell courts to defer to the Secretary of Transportation's reasonable reading of any ambiguous term in the bill. It would also state that the bill does not stop or delay other regulations agencies are required or authorized to issue. Together these rules would affect how judges review agency actions and how agencies and companies implement any guidance or standards that follow from the study.
Free Policy Watch
You just read the policy. Now see what it costs you.
Pick a topic. PRIA runs your household against live legislation and sends you a free personalized readout.
Pick a topic to get started
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15]
CA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9]
FL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.govTake It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Take the PRIA Score to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in