Safer Roads for Those Who Serve Act of 2026
Roadside Worker Safety: New Data and Awareness Rules
This bill was recently introduced in the Senate and is currently being reviewed by the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It is in the early stages of the legislative process and has no upcoming votes scheduled at this time. The bill is considered active as it waits for the committee to decide on its next steps.
Legislative Progress
The bill has support from both parties and addresses a clear safety need, but it may need to be added to a larger transportation package to pass the full Senate.
Key Points
- This bill focuses on protecting people who work on or near highways, such as construction crews, utility workers, and tow truck drivers. It requires states to specifically track injuries and deaths for these workers so the government can better understand where the biggest dangers are.
- If a state sees an increase in roadside worker accidents over two years, it must develop a new safety plan to address the problem. This ensures that states take action when the data shows that work zones are becoming more dangerous for the people working in them.
- The bill expands Move Over law awareness programs to include more types of vehicles. Drivers would be reminded to slow down or change lanes for garbage trucks, utility vans, and even regular cars with hazard lights on, not just emergency vehicles like police cars or fire trucks.
- Federal transportation grants would give extra points to projects that include strong safety plans for workers. This means that when states or cities apply for big construction budgets, they must prove they are taking steps to keep their crews safe during and after the building process.
- The plan sets aside $5 million each year for research and public service announcements. These funds will be used to study new safety technologies and run ads that teach drivers how to safely navigate work zones and roadside incidents to prevent crashes.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Safer Roads for Those Who Serve Act of 2026
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.