Senators Britt, Fischer Introduce Bill to Improve Vehicle Passenger Safety
She DRIVES bill would reduce injuries, save lives and save billions of dollars
Senators Katie Britt (R-AL) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) are leading a bipartisan effort to support the She Develops Regulations In Vehicle Equality and Safety (She DRIVES) Act. The She DRIVES bill seeks to modernize vehicle safety testing by mandating the use of advanced crash test dummies, including models that accurately represent female drivers and passengers.
“It is past time for crash testing to reflect the full range of drivers and passengers on the road,” said Senator Britt. “By updating standards to include female crash test dummies, we can make cars safer for everyone and better protect our loved ones. I’m proud to join my colleagues on this commonsense legislation that will truly save lives.”
As of 2022, Alabama had over 2.1 million licensed female drivers—129,000 more than males. Between 2011 and 2021, more than 3,000 women lost their lives in car crashes across the state. Nationally, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that 1,300 women die annually in crashes who might have survived if female death and injury rates matched those of men.
Multiple studies have consistently shown that women are at a significantly higher risk of injury and death in car accidents. Studies indicate that women are 17% more likely to die and 73% more likely to be injured in frontal collisions than men due to outdated crash testing standards that primarily use male-centric dummies. The She DRIVES Act aims to bridge this gap by updating Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to ensure vehicles are tested for safety across diverse body types, ultimately reducing injuries and fatalities.
“Outdated crash testing standards make women 17 percent more likely to be killed in auto crashes than men, but that doesn’t have to be the case,” said Senator Fischer. “By updating crash test dummy standards, our bill will save thousands of lives and prevent thousands more serious injuries each year.”
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report recently highlighted critical deficiencies in the crash testing program. Despite acknowledging the need for a broader range of test dummies to represent vulnerable groups such as women and the elderly, NHTSA has repeatedly failed to meet its own deadlines for deploying these essential safety tools.
The She DRIVES Act recently passed unanimously out of the Senate Commerce Committee and now moves to the full Senate for consideration. Senator Britt previously supported the legislation as a cosponsor in the 118th Congress. If passed, the bill is expected to save lives and reduce billions of dollars in economic costs associated with crash-related injuries and fatalities.
