Dozens of Former Members of Congress, Gender Equity and Transportation Leaders Call on Secretary Buttigieg to End Gender Discrimination in Car Safety Testing Program

December 15, 2021 – Washington – Today dozens of former members of Congress, gender equity, and transportation leaders sent a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg asking him to end gender discrimination in a car safety testing program. The letter was sent by VERITY NOW, a coalition advocating for gender equity in car safety.

The letter outlines issues with the widely recognized voluntary 5-star safety ratings (the New Car Assessment Program, known as NCAP). While it is widely understood that women’s bodies are physiologically different than men’s bodies, these government 5-star safety ratings programs have not required that female crash test dummies be tested in the driver’s seat.

In addition, the government has failed to mandate use of the advanced dummies that account for female physiological differences.  As a result of these government-supported biases in design, women die and are at far higher risk of serious injury in a crash than men. A woman is 17% more likely to die and 73% more likely to be seriously injured in a vehicle crash than a man in the same position, according to the government’s own research.

Former Congresswoman Susan Molinari and Co-Chair of VERITY NOW, said: “I applaud the Biden Administration’s commitment to equity, and I urge Secretary Buttigieg to seize this opportunity to end gender discrimination in vehicle testing and commit to using female crash test dummies in the driver’s seat of 5-star safety ratings programs immediately.”

Beth Brooke, Co-Chair of VERITY NOW and Former Global Vice Chair of Public Policy for EY said: “This year, highway deaths reached their highest level in 15 years. More than 40,000 Americans are projected to die in traffic crashes this year, a number Secretary Buttigieg rightfully deemed a crisis. We also know those deaths are not created equal. While men are more likely to cause crashes, women are more likely to die in them, and it is time for USDOT to end the gender discrimination it sanctions in vehicle safety testing.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — a unit of the Department of Transportation — already has the authority to require auto manufacturers to use the most up-to-date crash test dummies available, including ones that represent different body types, but has not acted on that authority. Instead, NHTSA’s requirements still only require out-of-date dummies and the use of a clearly male dummy in the driver’s seat in NCAP tests. A highly sophisticated female dummy has been available for years. At any time, NHTSA could use its authority and require both male and female dummies to be tested in the driver’s seat.

Please click here for a copy of the letter to Secretary Buttigieg.

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VERITY (Vehicle Equity Rules in Transportation) NOW is a coalition voicing concern about these inequities and raising awareness with policymakers in the U.S. and E.U. who have the power to fix them. VERITY NOW strives to achieve equity in vehicle safety by educating on, and advocating for, crash testing standards that protect everybody, regardless of gender, height, weight or age.