WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) introduced bipartisan legislation that would allow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to expand its research of emerging driver assistance systems, helping to improve roadway safety for Americans.
Many vehicles on our roadways today are equipped with advanced driver assistance features, including collision warnings, automatic emergency braking, and lane keeping assistance. Through its Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS) Program, NHTSA can access real-world data from vehicles equipped with these safety features and study their effectiveness. However, under current law, the PARTS Program is limited in the amount and type of safety data it can handle. The Vehicle Safety Research Act – which Peters introduced with U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) – would codify the PARTS Program and unlock an expanded range of data collection and information sharing between automakers and the government that will help accelerate both deployment and oversight of advanced safety technologies.
“Millions of Americans depend on driver assistance systems every day, and we must ensure our highway safety experts are able to analyze how these emerging features improve roadway safety,” said Senator Peters. “This legislation would help support the development and deployment of the most innovative technologies found on our roadways today, which is essential to saving lives.”
“The Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety has been an important collaboration between automakers like Ford and NHTSA for many years. Investing in this public-private partnership plays an important role in keeping Americans safe in their communities,” said Emily Frascaroli, Global Director, Automotive Safety Office at Ford Motor Company.
“GM remains committed to the PARTS program and its industry-wide collaborative mission to support advanced driver assistance systems development,” said Regina Carto, Vice President of GM Global Product Safety, Systems and Certification. “Benchmark data from the program helps us all raise the bar in vehicle safety performance. We appreciate the leadership of Senator Peters and Senator Young on this important initiative.”
“Vehicles on the road continue to get even more safe as automakers test, develop and integrate breakthrough driver assistance and crash avoidance technologies like automatic emergency braking that help save lives and prevent injuries. Safety is a top priority for the auto industry – and the introduction of the Vehicle Safety Research Act to support NHTSA’s voluntary PARTS program shows it’s a top priority for Senators Peters and Young too,” said John Bozzella, President and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
“Accelerating advanced technology is a key pillar of the Road to Zero vision to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities from traffic crashes. The PARTS program has helped validate technology countermeasures in hundreds of vehicles used by the American public and with sustained support will be able to examine the safety benefits of connected vehicle technology. NSC supports the efforts of Senators Peters and Young to codify this important program within the United States Department of Transportation,” said Mark Chung, Executive Vice President, Safety Leadership & Advocacy, National Safety Council.
“AAA’s commitment to advocating for safer roads is a mission that began over 100 years ago. We support the Vehicle Safety Research Act, which aims to improve road safety by ensuring continued collaboration between automakers and NHTSA to share and analyze real-world driving data. This collaboration will deepen our understanding of how new vehicle technologies affect driver behavior and roadway safety. This work is critical to achieving our goal of preventing crashes and saving lives,” said AAA President and CEO Gene Boehm.
The PARTS Program is a partnership between automakers and NHTSA in which participants voluntarily share safety-related data for collaborative safety analysis. Today, the program has access to data from 98 million vehicles, including 168 different vehicle models that would not have been possible without this public-private partnership.
The Vehicle Safety Research Act would ensure that this program continues and expands to new technologies and new types of safety data collection. It also provides for new protection for data shared exclusively through the PARTS program to ensure that any sensitive information related to these cutting-edge technologies is secure.
The automakers currently participating in the PARTS program include: Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Stellantis, American Honda Motor, Hyundai Motor North America, Mazda North American Operations, Mitsubishi Motors R&D of America, Subaru Corporation, Toyota Motor North America.
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