Congressman Cohen, Senator Luján, Reintroduce Bicameral Legislation to Improve Roadway Safety and Uplift Victim Voices at DOT

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Senator Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, reintroduced the bicameral DOT Victim and Survivor Advocate Act to create a new role designated as the “National Roadway Safety Advocate” at the Department of Transportation (DOT). The advocate will be responsible for working directly with roadway safety crash victims, survivors, and their families. 

Specifically, this new role will be responsible for building relationships with victims and survivors, providing education on DOT activities, and providing the victim perspective to the Secretary of Transportation and other DOT officials throughout the process of Department decision-making. 

After suffering from a traffic crash, victim-advocates often don’t know where to go to make their voice heard and prevent crashes like theirs from happening to others. In addition, latest projections from the National Highway and Traffic Administration (NHTSA) estimate that 40,990 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2023 and millions more each year are involved in non-fatal crashes. Many of these crashes would be preventable with the right policies in place to save lives.

“Traffic accident victims and their families deserve an advocate in the Department of Transportation to listen to their ideas for improving roadway safety, especially after the experience of suffering from a traffic accident. The DOT Victim and Survivor Advocate Act will help ensure that victim-advocates have a point of contact to work with at DOT and give them a permanent and respected voice in DOT decision-making.  I’m pleased to partner with Senator Luján on this important legislation,” said Congressman Cohen. 

“In New Mexico and across the country, far too many families know the pain of losing a loved one to a traffic crash. More must be done to address traffic safety issues, and that includes having an advocate for victims at the Department of Transportation,” said Senator Luján. “I’m proud to partner Representative Cohen to reintroduce the DOT Victim and Survivor Advocate Act to make this position a reality and ensure victims have a permanent seat at the table. As a victim and survivor of a drunk driving crash myself, I understand the necessity and importance of improving roadway safety and providing victims of roadway safety crashes with the support they deserve. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill signed into law.”

National supporters of this legislation include Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, National Safety Council, Truck Safety Coalition, League of American Bicyclists, Institute for Safer Trucking, Families for Safe Streets, AnnaLeah & Mary For Truck Safety, Stop Underrides – In Loving Memory of Roya, StopDistractions.org, The Kiefer Foundation, Safe Kids Worldwide. 

Quotes from supporters are available here.

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