VERITY Now Statement for International Women’s Day, March 8, 2024

Today marks International Women's Day.

For all that women have achieved, there are still far too many instances in which equality has not been fully realized. This year, in honor of International Women’s Day, we are calling for action.

Our mission is achieving equality for women when it comes to vehicle safety. We want the government to protect everyone in vehicles equally. That means including tests and dummies that accurately measure female safety in the government’s 5-star ratings.

It is alarming that we must advocate for basic equality in a government program in 2024. Women continue to be left behind when it comes to vehicle safety. They remain 73% more likely to be injured and 9 to 28% more likely to be killed in the same car crash when compared to men.

One year ago today, the Government Accountability Office recommended that the U.S. Department of Transportation develop a plan to address limitations in the information provided by current crash test dummies. It said that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “identified greater risks faced by females and older individuals at least two decades ago but has not completed actions to address those risks.”

And yet one year later, no such plan has been issued or announced by DOT or Secretary Pete Buttigieg. On this International Women’s Day, we renew our call for the Secretary and DOT to stop ignoring the lives and safety of women. We want the immediate inclusion of equal tests and real, biofidelic female dummies in government crash testing. We can no longer wait.