Stop Underrides Act 2.0

The bill seeks to reduce preventable deaths and injuries from underride crashes by enhancing underride protection on commercial motor vehicles. It mandates the Secretary of Transportation to finalize new motor vehicle safety standards for side underride guards on new trailers, semitrailers, and single unit trucks within 18 months. These regulations are intended to ensure comprehensive underride protection systems are effective on U.S. roads and improve safety for all road users. The required side underride guards must meet specific performance standards. They need to prevent intrusion into a passenger vehicle's occupant survival space during perpendicular impacts up to 40 mph and impede Vulnerable Road Users from sliding underneath. Additionally, the design must contribute to fuel efficiency through aerodynamic integration, with full compliance required two years after the regulations are finalized. The legislation also mandates the reconvening of the Advisory Committee on Underride Protection , increasing its membership to include families of underride crash victims and requiring more frequent meetings. The Secretary of Transportation must establish a publicly accessible website to serve as a repository for underride resources, including: research on front, rear, and side underride guards information on underride rulemakings stories of victims documentation of data collection. This website will be updated quarterly to provide current information to the public, industry, and researchers. Furthermore, the bill commissions two key studies to enhance understanding and prevention. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) will study the prevalence of front underride crashes involving large trucks and recommend prevention strategies. Concurrently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will assess the implementation of existing rear underride guard regulations and suggest improvements. Finally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator must review the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to identify underreported underride crashes and develop web-based training for law enforcement on proper identification and documentation.