VERITY NOW CALLS ON NHTSA ADMINISTRATOR NOMINEE DR. STEVEN CLIFF TO PRIORITIZE WOMEN’S SAFETY IN VEHICLE CRASH TESTING

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, VERITY NOW, a coalition advocating for gender equity in car safety, released the following statement after the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced the nomination of Dr. Steven Cliff, President Biden’s nominee for Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“Dr. Steven Cliff has promised to fight ‘a culture that accepts the loss of tens of thousands of people in roadway crashes as inevitable’ should he become the next NHTSA Administrator. If confirmed to this position, his leadership will be sorely required to save the lives of thousands of women who are needlessly killed and injured each year because NHTSA’s crash test standards prioritize the safety of men over women. It is unacceptable that NHTSA continues to rely on outdated crash testing technology – especially at a time when we have THOR dummy technology available that better represents men’s and women’s unique physiology. Previous administrations failed to address this longstanding injustice and women are paying the price,'' said former Congresswoman Susan Molinari and Co-Chair of VERITY NOW. “If confirmed, Dr. Cliff will have the opportunity to fulfill the Biden Administration’s directive on equity, and we strongly urge him to act immediately to ensure that both men and women are protected behind the wheel.”

“In a country where women are 17% more likely to die and 73% more likely to be severely injured in a vehicle crash than men, it makes no sense that NHTSA is only testing small versions of male dummies that date back to the 1970s in the driver’s seat as part of its 5-star safety rating program,” said Beth Brooke, Co-Chair of VERITY NOW and former Global Vice Chair of Public Policy for EY. “NHTSA has the authority to fix this issue now by requiring that the most up-to-date female crash test dummies are tested in all seating positions. We call on Dr. Cliff to make this his top priority if confirmed as NHTSA Administrator, and we look forward to working with him to ensure that gender discrimination is no longer sanctioned by the government in vehicle crash testing.” 

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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.