21st Century Smart Cars Act
Bill: H.R.3628 | Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. (D-IL)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
21st Century Smart Cars Act
This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to prescribe federal motor vehicle safety standards that (1) establish minimum performance requirements for crash avoidance technologies; and (2) require all new passenger motor vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States, introduced or delivered for introduction in interstate commerce, or imported into the United States, to be equipped with the crash avoidance technologies.
DOT must also conduct advanced crash systems research into (1) direct driver monitoring systems that will minimize driver disengagement, driver distraction, prevent automation complacency, and account for foreseeable misuse of vehicle automation; (2) lane keeping assistance that assists with steering to keep a vehicle within its driving lane; (3) automatic collision notification systems that notify emergency responders that a crash has occurred and provide the geographical location of the vehicle and crash data in a manner that allows for assessment of potential injuries and emergency response, and that transfer anonymized automatic crash data for the purposes of safety research and statistical analysis; and (4) intelligent speed assist that determines the applicable speed limit where a vehicle is operating and alerts the driver to the current speed limit and discourages exceeding that limit.

To amend subchapter II of chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, 
    to require crash avoidance technologies, 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 ``21st Century Smart Cars Act''.

SEC. 2. 21ST CENTURY SMART CARS.

    (a) Crash Avoidance Rulemaking.--
            (1) In general.--Subchapter II of chapter 301 of title 49, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
``Sec. 30130. Crash avoidance rulemaking
    ``(a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall issue final rules 
prescribing motor vehicle safety standards that--
            ``(1) establish minimum performance requirements for the 
        crash avoidance systems described in subsection (b); and
            ``(2) require all new passenger motor vehicles manufactured 
        for sale in the United States, introduced or delivered for 
        introduction in interstate commerce, or imported into the 
        United States to be equipped with the crash avoidance systems 
        described in subsection (b).
    ``(b) Crash Avoidance Systems.--The Secretary shall issue motor 
vehicle safety standards for each of the following crash avoidance 
systems--
            ``(1) forward collision warning and automatic emergency 
        braking that detects potential collisions with vehicles, 
        objects, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road 
        users while the vehicle is traveling forward, provides a 
        warning to the driver, and automatically applies the brakes to 
        avoid or mitigate the severity of a collision;
            ``(2) rear automatic emergency braking that detects a 
        potential collision with vehicles, objects, pedestrians, 
        bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users while a vehicle is 
        travelling in reverse and automatically applies the brakes to 
        avoid or mitigate the severity of a collision;
            ``(3) rear cross traffic warning that detects vehicles, 
        objects, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road 
        users approaching from the side and rear of a vehicle as it 
        travels in reverse and alerts the driver;
            ``(4) lane departure warning that monitors a vehicle's 
        position in its lane and alerts the driver as the vehicle 
        approaches or crosses lane markers; and
            ``(5) blind spot warning that detects a vehicle, 
        pedestrian, bicyclist, and other vulnerable road user to the 
        side or rear of a vehicle and alerts the driver to their 
        presence, including when a driver attempts to change the course 
        of travel toward another vehicle or road user in the blind zone 
        of the vehicle.
    ``(c) Considerations.--In prescribing the motor vehicle safety 
standards required in subsection (a), the Secretary shall require that 
the crash avoidance systems--
            ``(1) perform effectively at speeds for which a passenger 
        motor vehicle is designed to operate, including on city streets 
        and highways; and
            ``(2) include self-diagnostic capability and warning when 
        inoperable.
    ``(d) Compliance Date.--The compliance date of the standards 
prescribed under subsection (a) shall not exceed more than 2 years from 
the date final rules are issued.
    ``(e) Rulemaking on Point of Sale Information.--Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
issue a final rule to require clear and concise information about the 
capabilities and limitations of advanced crash avoidance systems 
described in subsection (b) to be provided to a consumer at the point 
of sale and in the vehicle owner's manual, including a publicly 
accessible electronic owner's manual.
    ``(f) Headlamps.--
            ``(1) Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
        this section, the Secretary shall issue a final rule amending 
        section 571.108 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations to--
                    ``(A) improve illumination of the roadway;
                    ``(B) prevent glare;
                    ``(C) establish minimum performance standards for--
                            ``(i) semi-automatic headlamp beam 
                        switching;
                            ``(ii) curve adaptive headlamps; and
                            ``(iii) adaptive driving beam headlamp 
                        technology.
            ``(2) The compliance date of the revised standard 
        prescribed under paragraph (1) shall not exceed more than 2 
        years from the effective date.
            ``(3) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
        this section, the Secretary shall finalize the Rulemaking (83 
        Fed. Reg. 51766) to permit the certification of adaptive 
        driving beam headlighting systems.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Crash avoidance.--The term `crash avoidance' has the 
        meaning given to that term in section 32301.
            ``(2) Passenger motor vehicle.--The term `passenger motor 
        vehicle' has the meaning given to that term in section 
        32101.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--The table of sections for 
        subchapter II of chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, 
        is further amended by adding after the item relating to section 
        30129 (as added by section 32002(a)(2)) the following:

``30130. Crash avoidance rulemaking.''.
    (b) Research of Advanced Crash Systems.--
            (1) In general.--Subchapter II of chapter 301 of title 49, 
        United States Code, as amended by section(a)(1), is further 
        amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 30131. Advanced crash systems research and consumer education
    ``(a) Advanced Crash Systems Research.--
            ``(1) Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
        this section, the Secretary shall complete research into the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Direct driver monitoring systems that will 
                minimize driver disengagement, driver distraction, 
                prevent automation complacency, and foreseeable misuse 
                of vehicle automation.
                    ``(B) Lane keeping assistance that assists with 
                steering to keep a vehicle within its driving lane.
                    ``(C) Automatic collision notification systems 
                that--
                            ``(i) notify emergency responders that a 
                        crash has occurred and provide the geographical 
                        location of the vehicle and crash data in a 
                        manner that allows for assessment of potential 
                        injuries and emergency response; and
                            ``(ii) transfer to the Secretary anonymized 
                        automatic crash data for the purposes of safety 
                        research and statistical analysis.
                    ``(D) Intelligent Speed Assist that--
                            ``(i) determines the applicable speed limit 
                        where the vehicle is operating; and
                            ``(ii) alerts the driver to the current 
                        speed limit and discourages exceeding that 
                        limit.
            ``(2) Requirements.--In conducting the research required 
        under subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) develop one or more tests to evaluate the 
                performance of the systems;
                    ``(B) determine criteria that would be reasonable 
                and practicable at evaluating the performance of the 
                systems; and
                    ``(C) determine fail, pass, or advanced pass 
                criteria to assure the systems are performing their 
                intended function.
            ``(3) Report.--The Secretary shall submit a report 
        detailing findings from the research required under subsection 
        (a) to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate 
        Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee not later than 
        3 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
            ``(4) Rulemaking.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Secretary shall issue final 
        rules to establish motor vehicle safety standards for the 
        advanced crash systems described in this subsection and to 
        require all new passenger motor vehicles manufactured for sale 
        in the United States, introduced or delivered for introduction 
        in interstate commerce, or imported into the United States 
        produced after the compliance date of such standards to be 
        equipped with advanced crash avoidance systems described in 
        this subsection.
            ``(5) Lead time.--The compliance date of the standards 
        prescribed under this section shall not exceed more than 2 
        model years from the date a motor vehicle safety standard is 
        finalized.
            ``(6) Crash data.--If the Secretary makes a determination 
        that establishing a motor vehicle safety standard described in 
        paragraph (1)(C)(ii) does not meet the requirements and 
        considerations set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of section 
        30111 of title 49, United States Code, the Secretary--
                    ``(A) shall submit a report describing the reasons 
                for reaching such a determination to the Committee on 
                Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and 
                the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
                in the Senate; and
                    ``(B) may not issue such a standard.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Crash avoidance.--The term `crash avoidance' has the 
        meaning given to that term in section 32301.
            ``(2) Passenger motor vehicle.--The term `passenger motor 
        vehicle' has the meaning given to that term in section 
        32101.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--The table of section for 
        subchapter II of chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, 
        is further amended by adding after the item relating to section 
        30129, as added by section 2(b), the following:

``30131. Advanced crash systems research and consumer education.''.
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