U.S. Reps. Lawrence, Castor, DeLauro, Norton, and Schakowksy Lead 61 House Members in Letter Urging DOT to Use Up-To-Date Female Crash Test Dummies in Vehicle Safety Testing
February 15, 2022 | Press Release
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representatives Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At-Large), and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) led a letter, with 61 House colleagues, to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to protect women drivers by requiring that accurate, up-to-date female crash test dummies are used in the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and in determining the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The female crash test dummies most commonly used by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in tests are simply scaled-down versions of the male crash test dummies, which are based on the measurements of an average-sized male from the 1970s. NHTSA’s NCAP’s 5-star vehicle safety ratings do not require testing female dummies in the driver’s seat. To view the letter, click here.
“We write to call your attention to an often-overlooked inequity in the area of vehicle safety: the gender-based discrepancies in traffic injuries and fatalities that are in part attributable to the absence of female crash test dummies in the current crash test system,” the Members wrote in the letter. “Unfortunately, neither the FMVSS nor the NCAP have been updated to reflect advancements in crash test dummy technology that could make vehicles safer for drivers who are not represented by the types of crash test dummies currently used by NHTSA. This includes women as well as the elderly, young adults, children, and individuals of different body weights.”
The Members added, “To better protect all drivers and ensure vehicles’ safety features take women drivers and passengers into account, we urge the Department to do the following: 1. Transition to the latest generation of crash test dummy technology for both male and female occupants. 2. Require all tests, such as those in the NCAP and FMVSSS, use the most up-to-date male and female crash test dummy technology in driver and passenger seat tests.”
The letter is supported by VERITY (Vehicle Equity Rules in Transportation) NOW, which strives to achieve equity in vehicle safety, including in crash testing standards that protect everybody regardless of gender.
“We are grateful for the support of dozens of members of Congress who are sending a loud and clear message that Secretary Buttigieg must end the gender-based discrimination in vehicle safety tests,” said former Congresswoman Susan Molinari and Co-Chair of VERITY NOW. “Too many women have suffered serious injuries and some have lost their lives because of the inexplicable lack of action at the Department of Transportation. It is simply unacceptable that women suffer because NHTSA’s 5-star safety rating program is still based on a 1970’s stereotype that women don’t drive.”
“Requiring up-to-date female crash test dummies in all vehicle safety tests could prevent thousands of severe injuries and deaths each year,” said Beth Brooke, Co-Chair of VERITY NOW and former Global Vice Chair of Public Policy for EY. “Secretary Buttigieg has an opportunity to correct an injustice and prove that this administration is serious about advancing gender equity. I’m grateful to Congresswoman Lawrence and the many members of Congress who are calling on him to do so.”