Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $2 Million In Federal Funding For Improved Data On Car Crashes

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $2 Million In Federal Funding For Improved Data On Car Crashes

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $2,038,000 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to create an interface that would transfer car crash data in Illinois to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

"Today's investment will improve how we understand transportation safety in our state," said Durbin. "As technology continues to progress, it is crucial that we bring law enforcement's crash reporting systems into the 21^st century."

"Improving crash reporting systems is critical to helping us make our roads as safe as possible and reduce the number of lives lost to car crashes," said Duckworth. "This funding will go a long way to help us update crash reporting systems and make it easier for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to get the information it needs to improve transportation safety across Illinois."

In 2023, DOT implemented a key provision of Durbin and Duckworth's Protecting Roadside First Responders Act by proposing a rule to require automatic emergency braking (AEB) on all new cars and light trucks, and finalizing this rule in April 2024. 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 NHTSA, the rule could save more than 360 lives and prevent more than 24,000 injuries each year. In 2023, NHTSA also proposed a rule, in line with the senators' provision, to require AEB on heavy vehicles, which would prevent over 19,000 crashes and save 155 lives annually.

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.

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