Sec. 5012. Safety data initiative
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In this section, the term eligible entity means— a State; a unit of local government; a transit agency or authority; a metropolitan planning organization; any other subdivision of a State or local government; an institution of higher education; and a multi-State or multijurisdictional group. The Secretary shall establish an initiative, to be known as the Safety Data Initiative , to promote the use of data integration, data visualization, and advanced analytics for surface transportation safety through the development of innovative practices and products for use by Federal, State, and local entities.
The Secretary shall support and carry out applied research to develop practices and products that will encourage the integration and use of traditional and new sources of safety data and safety information to improve policy and decisionmaking at the Federal, State, and local government levels. In carrying out clause (i), the Secretary may— carry out demonstration programs; award grants and provide incentives to eligible entities; enter into partnerships with— eligible entities; private sector entities; and National Laboratories; and use any other tools, strategies, or methods that will result in the effective use of data and information for safety purposes.
In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, shall— develop safety analysis tools for State and local governments, with a particular focus on State and local governments with limited capacity to perform safety analysis; identify innovative State and local government practices; incubate those practices for further development; and replicate those practices nationwide; and transfer to State and local governments the results of the applied research carried out under that subparagraph.
To inform the creation of information useful for safety policy and decisionmaking, the Secretary shall— encourage the sharing of data between and among Federal, State, and local transportation agencies; and leverage data from private sector entities. The goals of the data-sharing activities under clause
(i)shall include— the creation of data ecosystems to reduce barriers to the efficient integration and analysis of relevant datasets for use by safety professionals; and the establishment of procedures adequate to ensure sufficient security, privacy, and confidentiality as needed to promote the sharing of sensitive or proprietary data. A data ecosystem described in clause (ii)(I) may be managed by— the Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics; 1 or more trusted third parties, as determined by the Secretary; or 1 or more other entities or partnerships capable of securing, managing, and analyzing sensitive or proprietary data. The Safety Data Initiative shall be carried out pursuant to a plan to be jointly established by— the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy; the Chief Information Officer of the Department; the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration; the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; the Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration; and the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. The plan established under subparagraph
(A)shall include details regarding the means by which tools and innovations developed by projects carried out under the Safety Data Initiative will be transferred to the appropriate program of the Department for further implementation. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall direct the officials described in clauses
(i)through
(vii)of subparagraph
(A)to establish, by a date determined by the Secretary, the plan referred to in that subparagraph.