II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5506 

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate a Federal motor 

vehicle safety standard to reduce the incidence of child injury and death 

occurring during low-speed incidents involving motor vehicles, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 12, 2024 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate 

a Federal motor vehicle safety standard to reduce the 

incidence of child injury and death occurring during lowspeed incidents involving motor vehicles, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Standards To Prevent 

5 Frontovers Act of 2024’’ or the ‘‘STOP Frontovers Act 

6 of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) BACKOVER.—The term ‘‘backover’’ means a 

4 low-speed incident where a non-occupant of a motor 

5 vehicle is struck by the motor vehicle moving in re6 verse. 

7 (2) MOTOR VEHICLE.—The term ‘‘motor vehi8 cle’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

9 30102(a) of title 49, United States Code. 

10 (3) PERCEPTION ZONE.—The term ‘‘perception 

11 zone’’ means the area surrounding a motor vehicle 

12 within which accurate object detection is necessary 

13 to ensure safety. 

14 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

15 the Secretary of Transportation. 

16 SEC. 3. RULEMAKING TO MINIMIZE SAFETY RISKS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

18 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall initiate 

19 a rulemaking to promulgate a Federal motor vehicle safety 

20 standard under section 30111 of title 49, United States 

21 Code, establishing performance requirements that reduce 

22 death and injury resulting from frontovers and other low23 speed incidents. 

24 (b) REQUIREMENTS AND CONSIDERATIONS.— 


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1 (1) SCOPE.—The performance requirements of 

2 the motor vehicle safety standard described in sub3 section (a) shall— 

4 (A) minimize safety risks of frontovers and 

5 other low-speed incidents; 

6 (B) establish a perception zone; and 

7 (C) require— 

8 (i) at a minimum, the detection of, in 

9 the perception zone of the motor vehicle— 

10 (I) a motor vehicle; 

11 (II) a pedestrian, including tod12 dlers and small children; 

13 (III) a bicyclist; 

14 (IV) a vulnerable road user (as 

15 defined in section 148(a) of title 23, 

16 United States Code); 

17 (V) a wheelchair or assistive de18 vice user; 

19 (VI) a micromobility or motor20 cycle rider; and 

21 (VII) any other individual, equip22 ment, vehicle, or animal, as deter23 mined by the Secretary; 

24 (ii) a driver notification system that 

25 enables the driver of the motor vehicle to 


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1 effectively respond to objects described in 

2 subclauses (I) through (VII) of clause (i) 

3 to prevent and reduce the severity of 

4 frontovers and other low-speed incidents; 

5 (iii) an active intervention system that 

6 enables the motor vehicle to effectively re7 spond to objects described in subclauses (I) 

8 through (VII) of clause (i) to prevent and 

9 reduce the severity of frontovers and other 

10 low-speed incidents; and 

11 (iv) a distinct auditory and visual 

12 alert, which may be combined with a 

13 haptic alert, any time the driver notifica14 tion system described under clause (ii) or 

15 the active intervention system described 

16 under clause (iii) engages in a way that 

17 warrants a driver or motor vehicle re18 sponse. 

19 (2) DEFINITION.—The motor vehicle safety 

20 standard described in subsection (a) shall define 

21 ‘‘frontover’’. 

22 (c) TIMELINE.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

24 the date on which the rulemaking is initiated under 

25 subsection (a), the Secretary shall promulgate the 


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1 final motor vehicle safety standard described in that 

2 subsection. 

3 (2) FULL COMPLIANCE.—Not later than 3 

4 years after the date on which the final motor vehicle 

5 safety standard is promulgated under paragraph (1), 

6 the Secretary shall require full compliance with that 

7 final motor vehicle safety standard. 

8 (3) PHASE-IN PERIOD.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may es10 tablish a phase-in period for compliance with 

11 the motor vehicle safety standard promulgated 

12 under paragraph (1). 

13 (B) REQUIREMENT.—A phase-in period es14 tablished under subparagraph (A) shall only be 

15 for a period of time that allows for full compli16 ance with the motor vehicle safety standard in 

17 accordance with paragraph (2). 

18 (C) PHASE-IN PRIORITIES.— 

19 (i) IN GENERAL.—In establishing a 

20 phase-in period under subparagraph (A), 

21 the Secretary shall consider whether to re22 quire the phase-in according to different 

23 types of motor vehicles based on data dem24 onstrating the frequency by which various 

25 types of motor vehicles have been involved 


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1 in frontovers and other low-speed incidents 

2 resulting in injury or death. 

3 (ii) REGULATIONS REQUIRED.—If the 

4 Secretary determines under clause (i) that 

5 any type of motor vehicle should be given 

6 priority for the phase-in period established 

7 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 

8 shall promulgate regulations that specify— 

9 (I) the 1 or more types of motor 

10 vehicles that shall be phased-in first; 

11 and 

12 (II) the percentages by which 

13 those motor vehicles shall be phased14 in. 

15 (d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 

16 after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 90 days 

17 thereafter, if the final motor vehicle safety standard de18 scribed in subsection (a) has not been promulgated in ac19 cordance with the requirements of this section, the Sec20 retary shall submit to Congress a report on— 

21 (1) the reasons for the delay in promulgating 

22 that motor vehicle safety standard; and 

23 (2) the steps being taken by the Secretary— 

24 (A) to address those reasons; and 


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1 (B) to promulgate that motor vehicle safe2 ty standard. 

3 SEC. 4. UPDATES TO THE NON-TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE 

4 SYSTEM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall include 

7 an element for a frontover and an element for a backover 

8 in the data maintained, and the summary reports pub9 lished from that data, under the Non-Traffic Surveillance 

10 (NTS) System of the National Highway Traffic Safety 

11 Administration. 

12 (b) OTHER REPORTING CONSIDERATIONS.—In addi13 tion to the requirement under subsection (a), the Sec14 retary may consider other mechanisms to help inform re15 porting relating to frontovers and backovers, including 

16 changes to State crash report data requirements or other 

17 reporting systems. 

18 (c) NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary 

19 shall notify Congress on completion of the requirement 

20 under subsection (a). 

Æ 


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