[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4299 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4299

To require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule relating to 
    the collection of crashworthiness information under the New Car 
       Assessment Program of the National Highway Traffic Safety 
                Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 9, 2024

    Mrs. Fischer (for herself, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Blackburn, and Ms. 
  Duckworth) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule relating to 
    the collection of crashworthiness information under the New Car 
       Assessment Program of the National Highway Traffic Safety 
                Administration, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``She Develops Regulations In Vehicle 
Equality and Safety Act'' or the ``She DRIVES Act''.

SEC. 2. CRASHWORTHINESS STANDARDS UNDER NCAP.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Anthropomorphic test device.--The term 
        ``anthropomorphic test device'' means a testing device used for 
        compliance testing of motor vehicles and motor vehicle 
        equipment with respect to Federal motor vehicle safety 
        standards that is--
                    (A)(i) described in section 572.5 of title 49, Code 
                of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of 
                enactment of this Act); and
                    (ii) used to determine occupant crash protection, 
                in the determination of the Secretary, in each seating 
                position; and
                    (B) instrumented with sensors and injury 
                measurement capability at the parts of the body most at 
                risk for injury, including injury measurement for, at a 
                minimum, the acetabulum load, upper and lower thorax 
                displacement, abdominal displacement, ankle angle, and 
                Achilles load.
            (2) Crashworthiness.--The term ``crashworthiness'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 32301 of title 49, United 
        States Code.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Transportation.
    (b) NCAP Testing Rule.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a final rule 
        updating the testing procedures used to test the 
        crashworthiness of passenger motor vehicles under the New Car 
        Assessment Program of the National Highway Traffic Safety 
        Administration, in accordance with paragraph (2).
            (2) Requirements.--The final rule issued under paragraph 
        (1) shall include the following:
                    (A) The inclusion of the new generation--
                            (i) 50th percentile adult male testing 
                        device, as referenced by Regulation Identifier 
                        Number 2127-AM20; and
                            (ii) 5th percentile adult female testing 
                        device, as referenced by Regulation Identifier 
                        Number 2127-AM56.
                    (B) The updating of test procedures and devices, 
                including anthropomorphic test devices, to procedures 
                that mandate the use of the most technologically 
                advanced devices available in the global and domestic 
                markets used in crashworthiness testing and validation.
                    (C) The establishment of new, or refinement of 
                existing, injury criteria, including head, neck, chest, 
                abdomen, pelvis, upper leg, and lower leg injury 
                criteria, with anthropomorphic test devices based on--
                            (i) real-world injuries; and
                            (ii) the greatest potential to increase 
                        safety.
                    (D) The establishment of front seat crashworthiness 
                frontal and side impact tests with anthropomorphic test 
                devices for adult female occupants in all designated 
                front seating positions, including the driving 
                position.
                    (E) The establishment of rear seat crashworthiness 
                frontal and side impact tests with anthropomorphic test 
                devices for adult female occupants in all designated 
                rear seating positions.
                    (F) The establishment of a requirement that the use 
                of digital simulation tests shall be validated by 
                matching physical tests with anthropomorphic test 
                devices.
    (c) Continuous Updates.--Not later than 2 years after the date on 
which the Secretary carries out the requirements of this section, and 
not less frequently than once every year thereafter, the Secretary 
shall--
            (1) evaluate new anthropomorphic test devices; and
            (2) if applicable, issue a new rule that requires the use 
        of new anthropomorphic test devices evaluated under paragraph 
        (1) in the tests described in subsection (b)(2).
    (d) Missed Deadline; Report Required.--If the Secretary does not 
issue the final rule required under subsection (b)(1) by the deadline 
described in that subsection, the Secretary shall, not later than 30 
days after the date on which the deadline elapses, and every 30 days 
thereafter until the date on which the Secretary issue that rule, 
submit to Congress a report detailing--
            (1) the reasons for why the deadline was missed; and
            (2) the approximate date on which the Secretary will issue 
        that rule.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS UPDATE.

    (a) In General.--Section 30111 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), in the first sentence, by inserting 
        ``(referred to in this section as the `Secretary')'' after ``of 
        Transportation''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Crashworthiness Requirements.--In prescribing motor vehicle 
safety standards under this section that relate to crashworthiness (as 
defined in section 32301), the Secretary shall use the tests contained 
in the rule issued by the Secretary pursuant to section 2(b)(1) of the 
She DRIVES Act.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a)(2) shall 
take effect on the date on which the Secretary of Transportation issues 
the rule required under section 2(b)(1).
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