Chamber's Legal Reform Arm Backs Federal Ban on Staged Truck Crashes

The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform is pressing House members to cosponsor H.R. 2662, the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act, a bill that would make intentionally staging a collision with a commercial motor vehicle a federal crime.

ILR President Stephen Waguespack signed the letter, dated July 28, 2026, addressed to the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The organization "strongly supports" the measure, according to the letter.

The bill goes beyond the drivers who stage the crashes. It would also hold accountable "the perpetrators, attorneys, physicians, and other co-conspirators who knowingly participate in these dangerous and life-threatening schemes," the letter states.

The scale of the underlying cost is substantial. Litigation expenses across the automobile sector cost the U.S. economy $58 billion in 2022 alone, according to a report released by ILR. The Chamber's legal reform arm argues those dollars could have created new jobs, strengthened supply chains, or eased inflationary pressures.

Staged collisions with commercial trucks are, in ILR's characterization, "a dangerous and highly organized form of fraud." The letter lays out the ripple effects: they endanger truck drivers and the public, burden law enforcement and courts, and inflate insurance and transportation costs that consumers and businesses ultimately bear.

H.R. 2662 would establish clear federal penalties for intentionally causing or arranging such crashes, with particular weight on cases that result in serious bodily injury or death. The bill also includes a federalism safeguard — it bars duplicative federal prosecutions for the same conduct, preserving state authority over equivalent cases.

ILR frames the legislation as narrow rather than sweeping. "This measured, targeted reform will enhance public safety, deter fraudulent schemes, and promote a fairer civil justice system for all participants in interstate commerce," the letter reads.

The organization credits two lawmakers for advancing the bill. "We thank Representatives Collins and Gill for their leadership on this issue, and we respectfully urge you to cosponsor H.R. 2662 and to vote in favor of its passage," the letter concludes.

The Chamber's endorsement adds heavyweight business-sector backing to the legislation as it moves through the House. For trucking fleets, insurers, and shippers, the bill's promise is straightforward: a federal enforcement tool against organized crash fraud, paired with legal exposure for the lawyers and doctors who knowingly profit from it.