REPS. CLARKE AND NEGUSE MEET WITH FAMILY OF MAGNUS WHITE TO ADDRESS MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY PROPOSAL IN HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING

Reps. Clarke and Neguse are examining legislative options to strengthen motor vehicle safety to honor 17-year-old Boulder Cyclist Magnus White.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 13, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT:

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement after she met with the family of the late Magnus White and announced her plans to introduce the Magnus White and Safe Streets for Everyone Act of 2026:

"Magnus White was a 17-year-old US National Cycling Champion with some of the most exciting years of young adulthood ahead of him when, in the summer of 2023, he was tragically hit and killed by a reckless driver on a designated bike route while training to represent our country at the Mountain Bike World Championships.

"I want to thank Jill and Michael White for traveling to Capitol Hill to share their memories of Magnus and provide us with insight on how advanced safety features like Automatic Emergency Braking Systems could have prevented his death. The White family's nonprofit, The White Line, has collected national, state, and local crash data to help identify vulnerable road user risk. They found that from 2001 to 2023, the nationwide vulnerable road user fatality rate increased by nearly 30%. Even more alarming, they uncovered that people of color face significantly higher fatality rates per capita, with Black Americans facing as much as 2.24 times more risk for every one-hundred-thousand fatalities.

"Preventable tragedies like the loss of Magnus should not have happened, and Congress has a moral responsibility to work towards a future where they never do again. That is why Congressman Joe Neguse and I intend to introduce this legislation, and why we brought awareness to this issue and Magnus' life in our subcommittee hearing today.

"Our legislation will require passenger motor vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States to be equipped with automatic emergency braking and other advanced crash-avoidance technologies. The bill ensures these systems operate effectively across the full range of vehicle speeds in both daylight and low-light conditions, and that they can detect and respond to pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and other vulnerable road users. Furthermore, it requires that these technologies can accurately detect a full range of skin tones, clothing colors, and protective gear, improving road safety conditions for everyone.

"By modernizing safety standards and closing dangerous gaps in detection technology, this legislation represents a critical step toward safer streets, fewer fatalities, and a transportation system that works for everyone. I am proud to champion this necessary progress alongside my colleague, and I thank all those whose efforts and advocacy paved the way to today."

"Fundamentally, our efforts to enact legislation that improves vehicle safety standards are about protecting people. Protecting pedestrians, protecting cyclists, protecting citizens across our great country, and protecting people like Magnus White - an extraordinary young man and avid cyclist - who we lost far too soon," said Congressman Neguse. "Automatic braking technology is available today, and it would save lives - it's common sense. I'm grateful to Congresswoman Clarke and my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for their steadfast commitment to deploying this life-saving technology nationwide."

"We know humans fail. We know they make catastrophic decisions. That's exactly why vehicle safety technology must be mandatory. Had the driver's car that killed our 17-year-old son Magnus been equipped with any safety technology that already exists today, he would be alive, living his dreams. Lane Assist would have kept her in her lane and on the road. Automatic Emergency Braking, as proposed in The Magnus White And Safer Streets for All Act, would have seen Magnus and stopped her car before striking him. Vehicle technology would have seen what the driver could not. It would have done what the driver did not. It would have saved our son's life. We are grateful to Representatives Clarke, Neguse, and Trahan for ensuring Magnus's story is heard and for pushing this forward," said Jill and Michael White.

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