This bill, the Stop Underrides Act 2.0, directs the Secretary of Transportation to write and finalize new vehicle safety rules for side underride guards on new trailers, semitrailers, and single unit trucks. The rules must be finalized within 18 months of the bill’s enactment and require full compliance within 2 years after the rules are finalized. The bill sets a performance standard for side underride guards: they must prevent intrusion into the passenger survival space in a perpendicular crash up to 40 miles per hour, stop vulnerable road users from passing underneath the side of the truck, and contribute to fuel efficiency through aerodynamic design. The Secretary must include certain items in the rule cost-benefit analysis, such as deaths and injuries prevented and net fuel savings compared to current voluntary aerodynamic side skirts.
The bill amends definitions in title 49 of the U.S. Code to add or clarify terms such as passenger motor vehicle, side underride guard, trailer, semitrailer, and single unit truck. It also requires the Secretary to reconvene and expand the Advisory Committee on Underride Protection, sets meeting frequency rules before and after rule issuance, and sets the committee to terminate on September 30, 2031.
Other requirements include: a public DOT website with underride research and resources updated at least quarterly; a National Academies study on crashes involving the front of large trucks and related recommendations; a GAO study on implementation of a prior rear impact guard rule; a one-year review of FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) to better identify underride fatalities; and free web-based training for state and local law enforcement on identifying and documenting underride crashes.
No publicly available information on overall costs or funding levels is included in the bill text. The bill does require that the DOT’s rulemaking include a cost-benefit analysis that accounts for deaths and injuries prevented and estimates net fuel savings compared with the existing voluntary adoption of aerodynamic side skirts.
According to the bill text, proponents say underride crashes are a serious threat that have caused many deaths and severe injuries. The bill states the purpose is to reduce preventable deaths and injuries from underride crashes, improve safety for vulnerable road users and passenger vehicles, and ensure effective underride protection systems on U.S. roads. The bill also cites recommendations from safety bodies and requests more research and data to guide improvements.
No publicly available information on opponents’ views or objections is included in the bill text or provided materials.