New Road Safety Bill Targets Dangerous Roadside Stops and Work Zones with Better Data and New Expert Groups

This legislation is all about making the side of the road and construction zones less deadly. The core goal is to close a major gap in how we track and prevent crashes involving people who are outside their vehicles—whether they’re construction workers, first responders, or just a regular driver whose car broke down. It updates federal safety programs, improves data collection, and requires new expert groups to focus on these specific, high-risk scenarios.

The Problem with the Shoulder: Tracking Disabled Vehicles

If you’ve ever had a flat tire on the freeway, you know how exposed you feel. This bill recognizes that vulnerability. It updates the Highway Safety and Improvement Program (23 U.S.C. § 148(c)(2)) to specifically include disabled vehicle occupants and pedestrians in the groups states must consider when planning safety projects. This means safety funding and planning efforts must now account for the risk faced by someone standing next to their broken-down car. Furthermore, the bill expands public awareness campaigns—like "Move Over or Slow Down"—to make sure the messaging covers not just emergency vehicles, but also any motorist stopped on the side of the road or any worker in a work zone. That’s a crucial expansion that recognizes the danger isn't limited to just police cars and ambulances.

Getting Granular: Data That Matters

Right now, when a tragedy happens on the side of the road or in a work zone, the data collected can be too general. This bill mandates a fix. It requires improved injury data collection (Section 24108(c)(2) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) to track specific numbers for roadside deaths and deaths occurring within work zones. Why does this matter to you? Because better, more specific data is the only way to figure out why these incidents are happening and where resources should be spent. If we know exactly how many crashes involve a tow truck operator versus a driver changing a tire, we can design smarter safety measures, like better signage or specific patrol routes.

The Expert Huddle: Two New Working Groups

The bill doesn’t just ask for better data; it creates two specialized working groups to actually use it and develop strategies. The Secretary of Transportation must establish a Disabled Vehicle Crash Working Group composed of everyone from truckers and first responders to insurers and manufacturers. Their mission is to collect detailed crash data and figure out strategic plans to cut down on injuries. Similarly, a Work Zone Crash Working Group will bring together engineers, contractors, labor unions, and state officials to specifically tackle construction zone safety, looking at things like the effectiveness of current safety funds and data standards.

These groups are essentially task forces designed to move beyond general safety advice and create focused, actionable plans based on real-world experience and detailed statistics. For the average commuter, this means that the next highway project or road closure you encounter should, in theory, be guided by the best practices developed by these experts, making your drive and the workers’ jobs safer.

Following the Money: Accountability for Safety Funds

Finally, the bill adds an accountability layer for state spending on work zone safety. The Federal Highways Administration must now send Congress an annual report detailing exactly how states are using their special contingency funds set aside for work zone safety (23 U.S.C. § 120(c)(3)(B)(vi)). This is a straightforward requirement: show us the money. By requiring states to report on how much they put toward these funds and how they used them, the bill aims to ensure that dedicated safety dollars are actually translating into safer roads and better protection for construction crews.