She Drives: VERITY Now May 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.
What is the She DRIVES Act and who will this impact?
Earlier this month, the She Develops Regulations In Vehicle Equality and Safety Act (She DRIVES Act) was introduced in the Senate with the goal of fighting gender bias in car crash testing. Read more about the bipartisan bill below! 👇
WHO: The bill was introduced with bi-partisan support from four high-ranking US Senators, including Senators Fischer (R-NE), Murray (D-WA), Duckworth (D-IL) and Blackburn (R-TN)
WHAT: Currently women are 73% more likely to be injured and 17% more likely to die in a car crash than men. The She Develops Regulations In Vehicle Equality and Safety Act (She DRIVES Act) would require equal crash testing to better protect women.
WHY: Tests are unequal. For instance, only men are tested in the driver’s seat in frontal and side impact NCAP crash tests. And in seating positions where old, scaled-down male dummies are used currently to represent women, NHTSA has announced its intention to make the use of new biofidelic female dummies ‘optional’ only.
She Develops Regulations In Vehicle Equality and Safety Act (She DRIVES Act) would change that with a two-part solution:
Requiring the use of female crash test dummies that actually represent female anatomy
Mandating the same number and nature of crash tests for females as males in the government’s 5-star tests
By mandating the use of female dummies and equalizing crash tests, the legislation is projected to save over 1,300 lives per year, prevent and mitigate tens of thousands of serious injuries, and save billions of dollars in economic impact.
"We are deeply grateful to have four of the highest-ranking women in the Senate pave the path towards equal safety for women drivers."
“This bill is a testament to their dedication to ridding the government’s crash test regime of bias. These bipartisan leaders have shown that, contrary to NHTSA’s stated plan, women’s safety is not optional.”
- Susan Molinari and Beth Brooke, Co-Chairs of VERITY Now
While this is a huge step, we still need to ensure this bill gets passed! In order to that, we need your help.👇
What can you do to take action:
Write a letter to your Senator asking them to support the bill or thank your senator for supporting the bill depending on the state you live in.
Share VERITY Now’s press release and social media posts (linked below) about the bill.
Sign our petition and share it with others.
Continue to advocate for equality in car crash testing safety!
For more info on the bill, we have created this handy Q&A!
DYK? Women being “worse” drivers than men is a myth!
In many countries, the majority of car crashes are caused by men, as they are more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors than women. For example, in France, 84% of fatal car crashes are caused by men.
Business Insider recently highlighted a French road safety group that is telling people to “drive like a woman” to cut fatalities. The campaign aims to debunk the “misogynistic” stereotype that men are better drivers than women. Read more about the awareness campaign here.
In the United States, recent estimates show that 72.3% of car crashes were caused by men. And there are more women with driver’s licenses in the US than men, according to a study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. We want every body to have an equal shot at surviving a crash, no matter the cause. All the more reason to continue to fight for gender equality in car crash testing!
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.
Check out our Take Action page or pick one (or more) actions from the list below.
Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
Tell a friend about our issue and mission
If you have any questions or just want to say hello, please reach out to our team at info@veritynow.org.