S. 1474 — Vehicle Safety Research Act of 2025

This section establishes in the Department of Transportation the Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS) program as a continuation of the existing program previously administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (The PARTS program enables voluntary participation by entities to share traffic safety data with an external organization—i.e., a nonprofit or institution of higher education experienced in federal research contracts—for analysis to support safety technology development, assessment, regulation, and countermeasures.) The Secretary of Transportation must develop a governance charter within 180 days after enactment, in consultation with participants and the external organization; contract with such an organization to conduct the research; and ensure participant data remains under participant ownership and control, with strict access limits, safeguards against reverse engineering or identification, and prohibitions on use beyond specified safety purposes. (Participation does not satisfy other federal regulatory or reporting requirements.) This section exempts PARTS data and activities from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act; from the Paperwork Reduction Act; and from any regulatory promulgation requirement. It authorizes appropriations for the PARTS program of $4 million for FY2026, $6 million for FY2027, $7 million for FY2028, $8 million for FY2029, and $9 million for FY2030.