She Drives: VERITY Now March 2024 Update
At VERITY NOW, we’re working to improve women’s safety in vehicles by advocating for updated crash testing standards. She Drives is a monthly email newsletter with updates on the latest news, research, upcoming events and ways to get involved with VERITY NOW. We’re glad you’re here, now let’s get into it.
In this section, we’ll cover all the things we’ve been working on or paying attention to over the last month and what is coming up next.
GMA Highlights our Co-Chair Susan Molinari – How modern female crash test dummies could save lives
Good Morning America shared a segment highlighting how women are more likely to be killed in a car crash than men, sharing that current car crash dummies are decades old. In this 4-minute-long segment, our Co-Chair, Susan Molinari, shared her personal experience advocating on the issue and what changes need to happen. Watch the full segment here.
A Statement from VERITY Now on the Continued Inaction by DOT a Year After GAO Report on Vehicle Safety Testing Disparities
Over a year has passed since the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a critical report urging the Department of Transportation (DOT) to address disparities in vehicle safety testing. This report confirmed what VERITY Now and so many other advocates have been saying for years: women are far more likely to be injured or killed in car crashes because of outdated tests and crash test dummies that do not accurately reflect their bodies. Read the rest of VERITY Now’s statement here.
Fatal flaw: Buttigieg’s inaction means women’s lives are at risk
Our Co-Chairs, Susan Molinari and Beth Brooke, wrote an op-ed calling out the Department of Transportation’s refusal to act despite knowing the risk of women’s lives at stake. Read the full op-ed here.
There’s a lot to cover when it comes to vehicle safety, especially when it comes to women’s health and wellbeing. In this section, we’ll cover the top things you need to know when it comes to protecting women behind the wheel.
DYK? Rosa Parks wasn’t the first person to refuse to give up her bus seat.
Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white person in Montgomery, Alabama, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin did the same thing on the same bus system. Rosa Parks' contributions to the Civil Rights Movement are undeniable, but so were Claudette’s. As we continue to celebrate Women’s History Month, we wanted to recognize both of these powerful and inspiring women while shining a brighter light on the contributions of those who may not reach the top of our collective minds t our forefront.
DYK? The Brooklyn Bridge was built by a woman, Emily Roebling
Back in 1872, when the Brooklyn Bridge was under construction and was the tallest structure in the nation, Emily Roebling stepped in to manage the project for 11 years on behalf of her husband, Washington Roebling, the chief engineer, who had fallen ill with Caisson disease. Roebling not only oversaw the project but also bravely crossed the bridge with President Chester Arthur to demonstrate its safety before it opened to the public. Today, more than 140 years later, the Brooklyn Bridge stands as an iconic symbol of Robebling’s legacy as the Nation’s first female bridge engineer.
Are you interested in joining our fight for equitable safety standards in vehicle testing? Maybe your organization should be an official VERITY Now coalition partner. Please reach out to info@veritynow.org to learn more about partnership opportunities.
Families for Safe Streets’s Co-Founder, Amy Cohen, with Uplifters Podcast
Listen to FSS founder Amy Cohen in conversation with Uplifters Podcast host Aransas Savas about turning the tragic loss of her son Sammy into the growing national movement that is FSS. The podcast explores the tools and strategies that enable us to bolster ourselves and sustain our work.
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If you have any questions or just want to say hello, please reach out to our team at info@veritynow.org.