Tristan's Law

This bill, known as "Tristan's Law," seeks to enhance the safety of children purchasing food from frozen dessert trucks by amending title 23, United States Code. Congress identified that a notable percentage of child traffic fatalities involve pedestrians, and frozen dessert trucks present a specific hazard as children may be less attentive to traffic and obscured from driver visibility. The legislation acknowledges existing state and local efforts to mitigate these risks and aims for federal support to further improve safety. The bill reallocates one percent of funds from the National Priority Safety Programs to establish a new grant program. States become eligible for these funds if they enact laws mandating specific safety equipment for frozen dessert trucks. This required equipment includes flashing signal lamps visible from 500 feet, a horizontally extending stop signal arm with flashing red lights and a "STOP IF SAFE THEN GO" legend, a convex mirror to eliminate driver blind spots, and a front crossing arm designed to prevent children from walking directly in front of the vehicle. Additionally, the legislation directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study on pedestrian injuries and fatalities associated with frozen dessert trucks, including potential countermeasures and the feasibility of restricting vending locations where children might need to cross a highway. The Secretary will then issue guidance to State highway safety officers based on the study's findings. These amendments will apply to grant applications and state highway safety plans submitted for fiscal year 2026 and subsequent years.