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The bill improves consumer information, oversight, and (potentially) road safety around partially automated driving systems, but those benefits may be partially offset by higher costs for buyers, administrative burdens for dealers, limited real‑world effectiveness if disclosures are ignored, and legal risks that could constrain industry offerings.
Drivers and other road users are likely to experience improved safety because the bill prohibits misleading marketing of partially automated driving systems, reducing driver overtrust and clarifying driver responsibilities.
Vehicle buyers and lessees get standardized, plain‑language pre‑purchase disclosures and short summaries (including system capabilities and limits, operational design domain, and likely costs), making it easier to compare systems and avoid surprise fees.
Owners, lessees, and drivers receive advance notice of software updates that materially change driving tasks, giving them the chance to accept, delay, or seek more information before changes affect vehicle behavior.
Vehicle purchasers and lessees may face higher vehicle prices or new fees if manufacturers pass compliance costs (labeling, disclosures, legal exposure) on to consumers.
The required notices, labels, and disclosures may have limited real‑world safety benefit if drivers ignore or misunderstand them, meaning promised reductions in misuse and overtrust may not materialize for many drivers.
Increased enforcement and litigation risk could raise manufacturers' legal costs and incentivize firms to limit features or exit some offerings, potentially reducing consumer choice and innovation.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits misleading claims about partially automated driving systems and requires clear notices to dealers and buyers about system features, limits, and driver duties.
Introduced February 4, 2026 by Kim Schrier · Last progress February 4, 2026
Requires vehicle makers to stop advertising partially automated driving systems as fully automated or overstating their capabilities, and to give clear, prominent notices to dealers and buyers describing what the system can and cannot do and what the driver must do. Gives the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) authority to enforce these requirements and sets short timelines for compliance, including a 180-day ban on misleading claims and two-year deadlines for sales and software-update notice rules.