H.R. 6874 — Roadway Safety Modernization Act of 2025

This section amends the highway safety improvement program (HSIP) under 23 U.S.C. 148 to include as an eligible highway safety improvement project (1) the development, acquisition, or deployment of safety data and systems, including predictive analytics, telematics, and other validated methodology tools for highway safety purposes; (2) expanded safety data elements for railway-highway grade crossings and, to the extent practicable, data from such tools for risk modeling and planning; and (3) requirements for state strategic highway safety plans to incorporate such tools. (HSIP provides federal funding to states for projects, strategies, and activities on public roads that correct hazardous locations or address safety problems, consistent with state plans.) It further revises HSIP state planning and reporting processes to require proactive use of safety data to identify risks; use of crash data and such tools as data sources; and evaluations of project effectiveness and comparative benefits of safety strategies. This section amends the national highway freight program under 23 U.S.C. 167 to include as eligible projects the development, acquisition, or deployment of such safety data tools to improve freight safety and support performance-based planning; directs use of such tools in freight performance measures; requires the FHWA Administrator, not later than one year after enactment, to assess the need for operating standards for intelligent freight transportation systems (i.e., innovative technologies, infrastructure, or systems to improve freight efficiency, security, or safety on federal-aid highways) and report to Congress if needed; and adds related definitions. This section amends national priority safety programs under 23 U.S.C. 405 to encourage states to integrate such tools into safety data systems for grant eligibility and to require deployment or use of such tools to identify high-risk segments, evaluate crash factors, and support performance-based planning as a maintenance-of-effort condition. Finally, this section directs the Secretary of Transportation, not later than one year after enactment, to issue guidance on best practices for anonymizing and securing highway safety data, promoting transparency and accountability in using such tools, and ensuring reliance on validated methodologies; and to coordinate related departmental activities.