A bipartisan bill introduced on Jan. 21 by U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) aims to update vehicle safety tests by requiring the use of advanced testing devices, including female crash test dummies.
“Outdated crash testing standards make women 17 percent more likely to be killed in auto crashes than men, but that doesn’t have to be the case,” Sen. Fischer said Tuesday. “By updating crash test dummy standards, our bill will save thousands of lives and prevent thousands more serious injuries each year.”
Sen. Fischer sponsored the She Develops Regulations In Vehicle Equality and Safety (DRIVES) Act, or the She DRIVES Act, S. 161, to require the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to issue rules related to the testing procedures used under the federal New Car Assessment Program of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The bill has three original cosponsors, including Sen. Blackburn and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).
“Women are the majority of drivers on our streets and are historically less likely to get into a crash than men are — but they are also 73 percent more likely to sustain serious injuries from a crash,” said Sen. Blackburn. “Despite this troubling statistic, conventional crash testing in the United States has never used female dummies appropriately.”
If enacted, S. 161 also would establish injury criteria based on real-world data and introduce specific crashworthiness tests for female occupants in both front and rear seating positions, according to a bill summary provided by the senators.
For the first time in over 60 years, said Sen. Blackburn, enactment of S. 161 would ensure that women are represented in crash testing. “We must pass this legislation immediately to keep our mothers and daughters safe on the road,” she said.
Drive US Forward, Women Drive Too, and the National Safety Council endorsed S. 161, which has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.