Whereas roadway fatalities kill tens of thousands of people in the United States each year;

Whereas, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (referred to in this preamble as NHTSA), 39,254 lives were lost in motor vehicle crashes in 2024 and all of the deaths were preventable;

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for people ages 1 to 54 and kill more than 100 people every day;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, alcohol-impaired driving crashes are a leading killer on the roadways of the United States, with 11,904 lives lost to alcohol-impaired driving in 2024;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, 3,208 people died in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2024;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, 7,080 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States in 2024, representing 14 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, the number of pedestrian fatalities increased by 78 percent since their lowest in 2009;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, a total of 1,166 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in 2023, representing a 57 percent increase in the last 10 years;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, 6,335 motorcyclists were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2023, representing the deadliest year for motorcyclists since 1975;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, in 2023, 41 percent of motor vehicle traffic fatalities occurred on rural roads, despite only 31 percent of miles traveled occurring on rural roads;

Whereas according to the Federal Highway Administration, adequately maintained retroreflective signs and pavement markings and roadway lighting improve nighttime highway visibility and reduce the risk of crashes;

Whereas, according to the Federal Highway Administration, 850 people died in work zone crashes in 2024;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, seatbelts have saved an estimated 374,276 lives from 1975 through 2017;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, in 2024, 48 percent of passenger vehicle occupants who died in a motor vehicle crash were unrestrained;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, 43 percent of crash fatalities initially survived the impact but later died, highlighting the importance of improving post-crash care;

Whereas, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, increasing speed limits the 25 year period, from 1993 to 2017, led to approximately 36,760 deaths;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, speeding killed 11,775 people in 2023;

Whereas, according to Consumer Reports, existing safety technologies could cut road fatalities in half if such technologies were made standard on all vehicles, saving approximately 20,000 lives annually;

Whereas roadway fatalities and injuries rose during the COVID–19 pandemic and remain a persistent cause of death in the United States;

Whereas, according to the National Safety Council, medically consulted injuries in motor-vehicle crashes totaled 4,900,000 in 2024;

Whereas, according to the National Safety Council, total motor-vehicle injury costs were estimated at $559,300,000,000;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, women sustain 46 percent higher injury risk than men in frontal crashes;

Whereas, according to NHTSA, women sustain 55 percent higher injury risk than men in rollover crashes;

Whereas advanced vehicle and infrastructure technologies show promise in eliminating motor vehicles crashes;

Whereas better roadway fatality data collection could help driver better behavioral safety and infrastructure improvements;

Whereas too many families in the United States have been personally affected by preventable crashes; and

Whereas a data-driven safe systems approach is proven to be effective at reducing traffic fatalities and injuries, including through taking into account all aspects of the transportation environment and not requiring a single actor to be responsible for traffic safety: Now, therefore, be it