Vehicle Safety Research Act of 2025
The Vehicle Safety Research Act of 2025 would codify and continue the Department of Transportation’s PARTS program (Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety). The bill establishes a formal, governed program within the DOT, sets up an arrangement with an external organization (a nonprofit or a university-affiliated research center) to conduct data-driven traffic safety research, and lays out strict data ownership, privacy, and use rules. The aim is to enable advanced analysis and development of safety technologies and countermeasures while protecting participants’ data and limiting how information is shared or used. Key features include a charter developed within 180 days, clear definitions of PARTS program participants and external organizations, confidentiality protections (including FOIA exemptions), and funding authorizations (fiscal years 2026–2030). The bill also states that no new regulations are required to carry out PARTS, and provides that data and reports gathered under PARTS are largely not subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. The bill was introduced in the Senate on April 10, 2025, by Senators Peters and Young.
Key Points
- 1Codifies and continues the PARTS program within the Department of Transportation, creating a formal governance framework and requiring a program charter within 180 days.
- 2Establishes an external organization (a nonprofit or higher education institution) to conduct research, analyze data, and share information under contract with the Secretary.
- 3Sets strict data ownership and confidentiality rules: data remains owned by PARTS participants, is generally accessible only to the external organization, and may not be shared with other PARTS participants without explicit permission or a cooperative agreement; includes safeguards and prohibits reverse engineering of results.
- 4Limits the use of data analysis to purposes related to safety technology development, deployment, safety assessment, regulation, and countermeasures; clarifies that participation does not alter other federal regulatory requirements.
- 5Provides funding authorizations for the PARTS program from FY2026 through FY2030, with increasing annual appropriations ($4M in 2026, up to $9M in 2030); includes confidentiality exemptions and states that no new regulations are required to implement PARTS; some information is not subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.