SHE DRIVES ACT: It's Time to Make Cars Safe for Everyone
A Safety Gap That's Costing Lives
Every year in the United States, more than 1,300 women die in car crashes who would have survived if their injury and fatality rates matched men’s. Women are 17% more likely to be killed in a car crash, and 73% more likely to be seriously injured in a frontal collision.
%
Higher Risk of Lower-body Injuries in Common Crash Types
%
Higher Odds of Sustaining Foot and Ankle Injuries
%
Higher Odds of Lower-body Injuries in Far-side Impacts
%
Higher Odds of Serious Abdominal Injuries in Rollovers
These are not abstract numbers. These are mothers who don’t come home, daughters facing years of rehabilitation, and American families left to absorb medical costs, lost wages, and grief that could have been prevented.
There are two reasons – both can be fixed.
- Government vehicle safety standards have been built around a single crash test dummy: the Hybrid III, designed in 1978 to represent the average American man of that era. A shrunken-down version of that male Hybrid dummy was then determined to represent female occupants. However, the Hybrid III device has no sensors where women are most vulnerable – in the abdomen, pelvis, neck, across the chest, arms, and lower legs. No wonder women are injured at such high rates.
- Government safety tests only specify a test with a male device in the driving seat. Wait, Women don’t drive? Why should the highest standard of safety exclude women?
The Solution: The She DRIVES Act
Legislation. The She Develops Regulations in Vehicle Equality and Safety (She DRIVES) Act, introduced by U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) with bipartisan cosponsors including Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), would modernize federal vehicle safety testing for the first time in decades.
U.S. Senator Deb Fischer
(R-Neb)
U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-Wash)
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn
(R-Tenn)
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth
(D-Ill)
The bill would require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to:
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- Use the most advanced crash test devices available, including a female dummy (the THOR-5F) that accurately reflects female anatomy — not a scaled-down version of a man.
- Use these female devices in the driver’s seat tests – yes, Women Drive Too – for government safety tests.
- Require crash tests for female occupants in both front and rear seating positions, recognizing that women are passengers as often as drivers.
What's at Stake
The She DRIVES Act is estimated to:
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- Save more than 1,300 lives every year
- Prevent tens of thousands of serious injuries
- Deliver billions of dollars in economic benefits from injuries, fatalities, and lost productivity avoided
It would also bring the United States in line with global standards. Europe, China, and Japan already incorporate more advanced crash test dummies into their safety testing, where Europe, for example, has seen a 12% decrease in road fatalities since their advanced dummy updates. American families should not have less protection than people in other countries.
Why Now?
In November 2025, the DOT formally unveiled the design specifications for the THOR-5F, the first advanced female crash test dummy. This is a meaningful step — but it is only a step.
The DOT has indicated it will not complete formal rulemaking until 2027 or 2028. The Government Accountability Office has documented years of delay, and the DOT itself has missed multiple self-declared deadlines for deploying advanced dummies.
The government has acknowledged for years that a full family of crash test devices — representing women, the elderly, and other vulnerable occupants — is needed for accurate safety testing. But acknowledgment is not action. The She DRIVES Act would give the DOT the legal mandate it needs to move from research to rule, with firm deadlines that cannot be quietly missed.
Bipartisan Momentum - Public Voices Needed
The She DRIVES Act has already passed unanimously out of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. It now awaits a vote on the Senate floor and consideration in the House. This is one of the rare issues where Republicans and Democrats agree. Now it needs the public’s voice to get it across the finish line.
SHARE. SPEAK UP. SAVE LIVES.
Every year of delay is another 1,300 women lost. The technology exists. The data is clear. The bill is ready.
What’s missing is political will — and that’s where you come in.
Tell your senators and representatives to support the She DRIVES Act. It takes less than two minutes.
- Find your senators at senate.gov/senators
- Find your representative at house.gov/representatives
- Call or email with this simple message:
“I’m a constituent calling to ask the Senator/Representative to support the She DRIVES Act. Right now, women are 17% more likely to die in car crashes due to outdated federal safety standards. This bill would address that and strengthen the safety of American families. I hope they’ll consider it and vote yes.”