To amend title 23, United States Code, to include education on trailer safety in State highway safety programs.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Burchett (for himself and Mr. Bishop) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Trailer Safety Improvement Act expands existing State highway safety programs to include education about safe trailer operation. States must teach the public about proper trailer use, required safety equipment, and preventive maintenance for light-duty and medium-duty trailers.
Who Benefits and How
Trailer and safety equipment manufacturers benefit through increased public awareness of proper equipment, which may drive sales of safety gear like lights, brakes, and tie-downs. Insurance companies could see reduced claims and payouts from trailer-related accidents as safer practices reduce incidents on the road.
Who Bears the Burden and How
State highway safety agencies must develop and deliver new educational programs about trailer safety, requiring staff time and resources. The general public faces a new compliance burden to learn about trailer safety requirements, though this primarily affects those who own or use trailers. Taxpayers ultimately fund the expanded state programs.
Key Provisions
- Requires State highway safety programs to prevent improper and unsafe use of light-duty and medium-duty trailers
- Mandates public education about required trailer safety equipment (such as lights, brakes, safety chains, and tie-downs)
- Requires education about preventive trailer maintenance to reduce breakdowns and accidents
- Amends existing federal highway safety law (23 USC 402) rather than creating a new regulatory program
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Amends federal highway safety programs to include trailer safety education and preventive maintenance requirements
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Add trailer safety education to existing State highway safety programs without creating new regulatory structures"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Trailer manufacturers and dealers (through increased awareness of proper equipment)
- Public safety (through reduced trailer-related accidents)
- Insurance companies (through reduced claims from trailer accidents)
Likely Burden Bearers
- State highway safety agencies (must develop and deliver new educational content)
- Taxpayers (funding for expanded educational programs)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "state_highway_safety_agencies"
- → State highway safety agencies administering programs under 23 USC 402
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology