Prairie State Wire

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for implementing a key provision of their Protecting Roadside First Responders Act by proposing a rule to require automatic emergency braking (AEB) on all new light and heavy vehicles. 

The provision, which was passed in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, aims to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and injuries.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), if finalized, the proposed rule could save more than 360 lives and prevent more than 24,000 injuries each year.  

“Every year, too many Illinois families mourn the loss of loved ones due to distracted driving and roadside incidents,” said Durbin.  “I am relieved to see the Biden Administration take roadway safety seriously and propose rulemaking around the automatic emergency braking provisions included in theProtecting Roadside First Responders Act.  Automatic breaking can be life-saving technology, and I urge DOT to finalize this rule as soon as possible.”

“The troubling pattern of first responder roadside deaths demands action,” said Duckworth. “I’m glad to see the Biden Administration taking action and incorporating key provisions of our bill, proposing a rule to require the implementation of innovative, life-saving technologies to reduce risk and better protect our first responders.”

Durbin and Duckworth’s Protecting Roadside First Responders Act was designed to reduce crashes involving distracted driving and prevent first responder roadside deaths.  The bill would require the implementation of life-saving technologies on all new vehicles, including federal fleet vehicles, fund the deployment of digital alert technology for first responders, and increase public awareness of “Move Over” laws.   

In early 2022, DOT also announced that the federal government’s comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) – a roadmap for addressing the national crisis in roadway fatalities and serious injuries – incorporated provisions from the Protecting Roadside First Responders Act, like the implementation of AEB systems in all new passenger vehicles and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

Original source can be found here.