Bill Aims to Boost Roadside Safety for Stranded Vehicles and Work Zones

This proposed legislation is looking to beef up safety on our roadsides, specifically targeting those tricky situations involving disabled vehicles and active work zones. It plans to do this by tweaking existing federal highway safety programs and parts of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The core idea is to gather better information, sharpen public awareness, and get experts focused on reducing injuries and deaths for everyone from stranded motorists to road construction crews.

When Your Ride Gives Up: New Focus on Disabled Vehicle Safety

If you've ever had a car break down on a busy road, you know how vulnerable you can feel. This bill recognizes that danger by officially including "occupants and pedestrians associated with disabled vehicles" into the Highway Safety and Improvement Program (amending Section 148(c)(2) of title 23, United States Code). This means federal safety efforts, which aim to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries through various projects, will now specifically consider folks stuck on the shoulder. To dig deeper, the bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to team up with OSHA and others to form a working group focused solely on disabled roadside vehicle crashes. This group, including everyone from safety experts and insurers to auto manufacturers and law enforcement, will analyze crash data and cook up a strategic plan to cut down on injuries and fatalities. They'll also work on getting better data to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and provide annual updates on their awareness and intervention activities. Plus, those "Move Over or Slow Down" public awareness campaigns? They'll now explicitly need to cover disabled vehicles, not just emergency responders, as part of their review (amending Section 24109(a) of the IIJA).

Making the Cone Zone Safer: Sharpening Work Zone Protections

Road construction crews face daily risks, and this bill aims to bolster their protection. It mandates that "work zone deaths" are included in national injury health data collection (amending Section 24108(c)(2) of the IIJA), giving us a clearer picture of the problem. Similar to the disabled vehicle initiative, a dedicated working group will be formed, bringing together the Department of Transportation, OSHA, the Federal Highway Administration, contractors, engineers, labor unions, and safety pros. Their mission? To analyze work zone crashes, develop a strategic plan to reduce harm, and improve how "work zone safety contingency funds" are used. These are funds, as outlined in section 120(c)(3)(B)(vi) of title 23, USC, that can be part of contracts to incorporate safety enhancements into work zones. This group will also focus on better data sharing with NHTSA and provide annual updates. And yes, those "Move Over or Slow Down" campaign reviews will also need to specifically address workers and machinery in work zones.

Follow the Data, Follow the Money: Boosting Transparency in Road Safety

A big theme here is getting smarter with information. Both new working groups are tasked with improving data collection on these types of crashes and ensuring better sharing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This means safety strategies can be based on more complete and accurate information. Beyond data, the bill shines a spotlight on how money for safety is spent. It requires the Administrator of the Federal Highways Administration to send an annual report to Congress detailing how states are using those "work zone safety contingency funds." This report will specify which states used the funds, how much they dedicated, and any recommendations to make these funds work better across the country. This kind of transparency is key to making sure safety investments are actually effective and that we're learning what works best to protect people on our roads.