This act directs the Secretary of Transportation to seek an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on the effect of driver-controlled technology on severe traffic injuries and fatalities, including pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. The study will examine the prevalence and characteristics of touch screen-based systems, how these systems influence driver behavior, and how they compare to smartphone use while driving.
It will also analyze how factors like time of day, weather, road conditions, and commercial vehicle presence affect injury and fatality rates, and it will consider data collection needs and potential changes to federal surveys to capture these dynamics.
Not later than 24 months after the agreement is in place, the Secretary must submit a report to Congress with the study findings and publish the report on the Department of Transportation's public website. Within two months of that submission, the Secretary must present recommendations to Congress, including actions that could reduce severe injuries and fatalities and whether existing federal surveys should be updated to better capture data on touch-screen use and smartphone use while driving.
The recommendations are to be categorized into actions the federal government may implement under current authority and actions that would require new federal law.
At a Glance
What It Does
The Secretary of Transportation must enter into an agreement with the National Academies to conduct a study on driver-controlled technology and its link to severe injuries and fatalities, with a focus on touch-screen and related systems.
Who It Affects
The study2700 involves federal agencies, state and local transportation entities, automakers, technology developers, drivers, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users.
Why It Matters
The findings could establish safety gaps, shape data standards, and influence whether new federal guidance or legislation is needed to address how driver-controlled tech impacts driver attention and road safety.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The Driver Technology and Pedestrian Safety Act of 2025 requires the Department of Transportation to initiate a study, by engaging the National Academies, on how driver-controlled technology—especially touch-screen systems and related interfaces—affects serious injuries and fatalities. The study will look at how prevalent touch-screen and other driver-controlled features are, how they influence driver distraction, and how their design (brightness, size, user interfaces) affects driver behavior.
It will also compare touch-screen use with smartphone use while driving and examine how conditions such as time of day or weather alter risk, including impacts on pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. The Secretary must define a study period that begins up to 10 years before the agreement date and determine a suitable time frame for analysis.
After the agreement, the Secretary has 24 months to produce a Congress-facing report and to publish the findings on DOT’s website. Following that, within two months, the Secretary must present recommendations to Congress.
The recommendations will be divided into two categories: those the federal government can implement under existing authority and those that would require new federal law to implement.To ground the recommendations, the bill also defines several terms and clarifies how the administration should approach data collection and analysis, including how to treat touch-screen-based systems, tactile controls, and other driver-controlled technologies.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The Secretary must seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies within 3 months of enactment to conduct the study.
The study evaluates touch screen-based systems, driver distraction, system design, and comparisons to smartphone use while driving.
The scope includes a period at least 10 years prior to the agreement date to analyze historical data and trends.
A DOT-delivered report is due to Congress within 24 months after the agreement, with public posting on DOT’s website.
Recommendations will be categorized into actions under existing federal authority and those requiring new federal law.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Short Title
This section designates the act as the Driver Technology and Pedestrian Safety Act of 2025.
Driver-Controlled Technology Safety Study
Section 2 directs the Secretary of Transportation, subject to appropriations, to seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on driver-controlled technology and its relationship to severe injuries and fatalities, including pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. It also requires the Secretary to determine a study period that begins no later than 10 years before the agreement and to address specific information such as the prevalence of touch-screen systems, driver distraction, user interface design, and a comparative analysis with smartphone use, as well as questions about road, weather, and traffic conditions that affect safety outcomes.
Report and Recommendations
Not later than 24 months after the agreement, the Secretary must submit a Congress-facing report with the study findings and publish it on DOT’s website. Not later than 2 months after that, the Secretary must provide Congress recommendations based on the findings, including measures to reduce severe injuries and fatalities and recommendations to adjust federal data collection efforts (such as the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and related surveys) to capture data on touch-screen use and smartphone use in driving. Recommendations must be categorized into actions the federal government may implement under existing authority and actions that would require new federal law.
Definitions
This section defines key terms: 'commercial motor vehicle,' 'driver-controlled technology' (including touch-screen systems and other driver-controlled features, but excluding default safety or essential vehicle functions), 'motor vehicle' (as defined in law), 'tactile motor vehicle control' (physical controls like knobs or switches), and 'touch screen-based system' (a system with a primary touch-screen interface, potentially projecting a smartphone interface, that controls vehicle functions).
Rules of Construction
This section clarifies that the act does not preclude or delay other regulations required by law and, if a term is ambiguous in the bill, courts should defer to a reasonable interpretation by the Secretary of Transportation.
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Explore Transportation in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Department of Transportation gains a clear, evidence-based basis for evaluating driver-controlled technology safety and for shaping future policy and standards.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine receives a federal contract to conduct a high-profile study and produce authoritative findings.
- State and local transportation agencies benefit from standardized data and insights that support safety planning and program design.
- Automotive manufacturers and technology developers obtain clearer guidance and potential future expectations related to UI/UX design and driver-assistance features.
- Pedestrians and other vulnerable road users stand to gain from safety recommendations that address touch-screen distraction and related risk factors.
Who Bears the Cost
- U.S. taxpayers fund the study and the National Academies contract.
- Department of Transportation budget resources must cover study-related activities and data collection improvements.
- The National Academies and associated researchers incur costs for conducting the study under a federal contract.
- Automotive manufacturers and tech suppliers may face costs if findings lead to design changes or new safety requirements.
- States and local governments may incur costs to support data collection or reporting that aligns with federal recommendations.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is whether to use rigorous, data-driven study outcomes to justify regulatory action that could constrain driver-controlled tech, or to defer to evolving technology and market solutions while risk management continues through guidance and data collection improvements.
The act centers on a study rather than immediate regulation, making its real impact contingent on federal appropriations and the outcomes of the analysis. While it directs data collection considerations and recommends data system enhancements, it does not pre-emptively mandate new standards or laws.
The integration of findings into federal practice will depend on how the National Academies’ recommendations align with existing authorities and the political process for any new legislation. Additionally, there is potential ambiguity around how the term ‘driver-controlled technology’ will be applied across diverse vehicle platforms, and the reliance on external studies could affect the timeliness and specificity of future policy actions.
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