Five-Stars for Safe Cars Act

Five-Stars for Safe Cars Act

This bill addresses consumer information related to passenger motor vehicles.

Among other requirements, the Department of Transportation must

• publish a report on efforts over the next five-year period to improve passenger motor vehicle information, including damage susceptibility;
• finalize its New Car Assessment Program which provides comparative information on the safety of new vehicles to assist consumers with vehicle purchasing decisions and encourages motor vehicle manufacturers to make vehicle safety improvements;
• update and create crash avoidance tests and ratings such as forward automatic emergency braking (i.e., forward collision warning, crash imminent braking, and dynamic brake support);
• establish tests and ratings for pedestrian, bicyclist, and other vulnerable road users crashworthiness, including the potential risks of injuries to the head, pelvis, upper and lower leg, and crash avoidance;
• create a combined overall five-star vehicle rating and separate five-star ratings for crashworthiness for adults, crashworthiness for elderly occupants and children, crash avoidance, and pedestrian and bicycling crashworthiness and crash avoidance;
• complete research into the development of tests for safety features, including automatic collision notification, lane keeping assistance, traffic jam assist, and passive drunk driving prevention systems; and
• update passenger motor vehicle information to expand consumer access to vehicles with improved safety.