NASEM and GAO studies

(a) NASEM study (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (referred to in this subsection as the National Academies) under which the National Academies shall conduct a study on the prevalence of crashes involving the front of large trucks, including the threat of those crashes on Vulnerable Road Users. (2) Report Not later than 180 days after the date on which the National Academies completes the study required under paragraph (1), the National Academies shall submit to Congress a report on the results of the study, which shall include— (A) recommendations on— (i) how to better prevent crashes where the front of large trucks contacts a passenger motor vehicle in a manner that causes the passenger motor vehicle to slide under the large truck; and (ii) how to prevent deaths resulting from those crashes; (B) a description of the efficacy of preventative or protective devices on commercial motor vehicles, such as front override guards, in preventing deaths resulting from those crashes; and (C) statistics, since 2010, describing the prevalence of fatal and non-fatal crashes described in subparagraph (A)(i), including rear underride and side underride crashes, which shall include— (i) the type, make, and model of vehicles involved in those crashes; (ii) the types of roads on which those crashes have occurred; and (iii) the number of fatalities that occurred as a result of those crashes. (b) GAO study (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States (referred to in this subsection as the Comptroller General) shall conduct a study on the implementation of the final rule of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration entitled Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Rear Impact Guards, Rear Impact Protection (87 Fed. Reg. 42339 (July 15, 2022)). (2) Report Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Comptroller General completes the study required under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall submit to the Secretary of Transportation and Congress a report on the results of the study, which shall include— (A) an analysis of the implementation of the final rule described in that paragraph; (B) if applicable, recommendations to the Department of Transportation describing improvements to that final rule or its implementation; and (C) recommendations to Congress and the Department of Transportation on how to better prevent underrides in crashes occurring at the rear of trailers, semitrailers, and single unit trucks.