New Act Mandates Car Companies Cut Abuser's Remote Access in 2 Days to Protect Survivors

The “Safe Vehicle Access for Survivors Act” is designed to shut down a dangerous loophole: the ability of abusers to use connected car technology—think apps that lock doors, track location, or remotely start the engine—to stalk, harass, and control survivors. This bill tackles the problem head-on by forcing car manufacturers and service providers (the “Covered Providers”) to act fast when a survivor requests help.

The Two-Day Deadline to Disconnect

What does this bill actually do? It creates a mandatory safety protocol for connected vehicle services. If you are a survivor (defined as someone alleging a “Covered Act” like domestic violence or stalking) and you submit a request under Section 4, the provider must terminate the alleged abuser's access to the vehicle’s remote services within two business days. This is a hard deadline. The provider achieves this by either shutting down the abuser’s account entirely, or, if separating the accounts is too messy, shutting down all connected services for that specific car. They then give the survivor the tools to restart the service safely without the abuser.

No Fees, No Questions Asked (Almost)

This is where the law gets real about protecting vulnerable people. Under Section 3, providers are explicitly barred from charging the survivor any fee, penalty, or increased rate to process this safety request. They also cannot require the consent of the account holder—which might be the abuser—to make the change. For a survivor trying to escape, the last thing they need is a bureaucratic or financial hurdle. The only requirements for the survivor are providing the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), the abuser’s name, and proof that they have exclusive possession of the vehicle (like a court order).

Data Privacy is Job One

The bill understands that the information shared by a survivor is extremely sensitive. Section 4 mandates that all information submitted by the survivor must be treated as confidential and securely destroyed within 90 days of receipt. This is a huge privacy win, ensuring that sensitive details about the survivor's location, situation, and the abuser are not kept indefinitely on a server somewhere. Furthermore, once the abuser is blocked, the provider must refuse any subsequent request from that abuser for data created after the access was terminated, effectively cutting off their ability to retroactively track the vehicle.

The FCC Steps In for Standardization

While the immediate requirements are clear, the long-term plan involves the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Section 9 requires the FCC, working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to finalize comprehensive rules within two years. These rules will standardize exactly how providers must handle these requests, focusing on confidentiality, data deletion, and how to notify account holders about their safety and privacy options. This ensures that every car company is playing by the same safety rules, rather than making it up as they go along.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

For everyday people, this bill means that the advanced technology in your car can’t easily be weaponized against you in a domestic situation. If a survivor needs to leave quickly, they can be confident that the abuser won't be able to use the connected car app to track their movements, unlock the doors remotely, or even disable the car (a terrifying possibility with some modern systems). The law prioritizes the survivor’s safety and privacy over the alleged abuser's convenience or account status. The only real point of friction is that the abuser's access is terminated based on an allegation and the necessary court order or proof of possession, not a criminal conviction, which is necessary for rapid safety intervention but could be a factor in complicated co-ownership disputes.