Coalition
Thank you to the citizens, organizations, policymakers, industry leaders, and Members of Congress who continue to advocate for equality in vehicle safety standards.
Political, Women’s Rights, and Transportation Safety and Industry Leaders
Letter from Industry Leaders
The following individuals have shown support for VERITY NOW by signing a public letter on December 15th, 2021 to Secretary Pete Buttigieg and DOT asking the administration to update NCAP and FMVSS testing standards to include an up-to-date female crash test dummy and for Congress to create a structure that commits NHTSA to regularly reviewing crash test standards.
Dr. Gina Lynn Adrales, M.D., M.P.H.
Director, Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Johns Hopkins University
Donna de Varona
Decorated Olympic swimmer, ABC broadcaster, Women’s Sports Advocate
Alyse Nelson
Co-Founder, President & CEO Vital Voices Global Partnership
Erin Vilardi
Founder and CEO of Vote Run Lead
Lisa Borders
Founder & CEO, Golden Glow Media; Former President, WNBA
Emily Courey Pryor
Executive Director, Data2X
Caroline Criado Perez
Author, Journalist, and Activist
Deborah A.P. Hersman
Former Chair, National Transportation Safety Board; Former CEO National Safety Council
Catherine McCullough
Executive Director, Intelligent Car Coalition
Hana Schank
New America, Director of Strategy, Public Interest Technology
Maria Weston Kuhn
Auto Safety Activist and Crash Survivor
Henry Greenidge, Esq.
2020-2021 Fellow-in-Residence, NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research
Marcia Hale
Chairman of Building America’s Future
Lorraine M. Martin
President and CEO of the National Safety Council
Natalie Draisin
Director, North American Office & United Nations Representative, FIA Foundation
Alais L. M. Griffin
Former Chief Counsel, FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
Joanna L. Turner
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at DOT
Beth Brooke
Co-Chair, VERITY Now
Former Global Vice Chair of Public Policy for EY; Forbes “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women”
The Honorable Susan Molinari
Co-Chair, VERITY Now; Former Member of U.S. Congress (R-NY)
The Honorable Olympia Snowe
Former United States Senator (R-ME)
The Honorable Mary L. Landrieu
Former United States Senator (D-LA)
The Honorable Heidi Heitkamp
Former United States Senator (D-ND)
The Honorable Charles Boustany
Former Member of U.S. Congress (R-LA)
The Honorable Dan Glickman
Former Secretary of Agriculture, Former Member of U.S. Congress, senior fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center (D-KS)
The Honorable Richard Swett
Former Ambassador to Denmark, Former Member of U.S. Congress (D-NH)
The Honorable Barbara Comstock
Former Member of U.S. Congress (R-VA)
The Honorable Chris Shays
Former Member of U.S. Congress (R-CT)
The Honorable Don Bonker
Former Member of U.S. Congress (D-WA)
The Honorable Constance Morella
Former Member of U.S. Congress (R-MD); U.S. ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Honorable Bob Inglis
Former Member of U.S. Congress (R-SC)
The Honorable Cliff Stearns
Former Member of U.S. Congress (R-FL)
National Foundation for Women Legislators
United State of Women
Sarah Marshall
Former Senior Vice President For Phillips & Company; Former Vice President
And General Manager For Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
Pari Esfandiari
Co-Founder And President Of The Global Technopolitics Forum
Charlene Wheeless
Senior Advisor for Equity And Justice at APCO Worldwide;
Former Principal Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs for Bechtel Corporation
Members of the U.S. Senate
On April 11th, 2022, three U.S. Senators sent an additional letter to NHTSA and Secretary Buttigieg asking that they immediately make changes to NCAP and FMVSS to address gender equity issues and ensure making a safer and more equitable country for women.
The Honorable Patty Murray
United States Senator (D-WA)
The Honorable Alex Padilla
United States Senator (D-CA)
The Honorable Sherrod Brown
United States Senator (D-OH)
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives
The following U.S. Representatives led a letter, with 61 House colleagues, to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg to protect women drivers by requiring that accurate, up-to-date female crash test dummies are used in the NCAP and in determining the FMVSS.
The Honorable Brenda L. Lawrence
Member of U.S. Congress (MI-14)
The Honorable Kathy Castor
Member of U.S. Congress (FL-14)
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro
Member of U.S. Congress (CT-03)
The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton
Member of U.S. Congress (DC-At-Large)
The Honorable Jan Schakowsky
Member of U.S. Congress (IL-09)
The Honorable Lois Frankel
Member of U.S. Congress (FL-21)
The Honorable Jackie Speier
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-14)
The Honorable Cheri Bustos
Member of U.S. Congress (IL-17)
The Honorable Nydia M. Velazquez
Member of U.S. Congress (NY-7)
The Honorable Bill Foster
Member of U.S. Congress (IL-11)
The Honorable Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr.
Member of U.S. Congress (GA-4)
The Honorable Earl Blumenauer
Member of U.S. Congress (OR-3)
The Honorable Lisa Blunt Rochester
Member of U.S. Congress (DE-At-large District)
The Honorable Raúl M. Grijalva
Member of U.S. Congress (AZ-3)
The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Member of U.S. Congress (FL-23)
The Honorable Grace F. Napolitano
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-32)
The Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney
Member of U.S. Congress (NY-12)
The Honorable Haley Stevens
Member of U.S. Congress (MI-11)
The Honorable John B. Larson
Member of U.S. Congress (CT-1)
The Honorable Suzan K. DelBene
Member of U.S. Congress (WA-1)
The Honorable Raja Krishnamoorthi
Member of U.S. Congress (IL-8)
The Honorable Dina Titus
Member of U.S. Congress (NV-1)
The Honorable André Carson
Member of U.S. Congress (IN-7)
The Honorable Kathleen M. Rice
Member of U.S. Congress (NY-4)
The Honorable Julia Brownley
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-26)
The Honorable Jesús G. "Chuy" García
Member of U.S. Congress (IL-4)
The Honorable Jerold Nadler
Member of U.S. Congress (NY-10)
The Honorable Nanette Diaz Barragán
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-44)
The Honorable Betty McCollum
Member of U.S. Congress (MN-4)
The Honorable Bobby L. Rush
Member of U.S. Congress (IL-1)
The Honorable Bonnie Watson Coleman
Member of U.S. Congress (NJ-12)
The Honorable Katherine Clark
Member of U.S. Congress (MA-5)
The Honorable Grace Meng
Member of U.S. Congress (NY-6)
The Honorable Karen Bass
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-37)
The Honorable Lucille Roybal-Allard
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-40)
The Honorable Barbara Lee
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-13)
The Honorable Jahana Hayes
Member of U.S. Congress (CT-5)
The Honorable Anna G. Eshoo
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-18)
The Honorable Frederica S. Wilson
Member of U.S. Congress (FL-24)
The Honorable Veronica Escobar
Member of U.S. Congress (TX-16)
The Honorable Jim Himes
Member of U.S. Congress (CT-4)
The Honorable Madeleine Dean
Member of U.S. Congress (PA-4)
The Honorable Judy Chu
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-27)
The Honorable Donald S. Beyer, Jr.
Member of U.S. Congress (VA-8)
The Honorable Ro Khanna
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-17)
The Honorable Peter Welch
Member of U.S. Congress (VT-At-large District)
The Honorable David N. Cicilline
Member of U.S. Congress (RI-1)
The Honorable Marcy Kaptur
Member of U.S. Congress (OH-9)
The Honorable Shontel M. Brown
Member of U.S. Congress (OH-11)
The Honorable Lauren Underwood
Member of U.S. Congress (IL-14)
The Honorable Lizzie Fletcher
Member of U.S. Congress (TX-7)
The Honorable Steve Cohen
Member of U.S. Congress (TN-9)
The Honorable Rick Larsen
Member of U.S. Congress (WA-2)
The Honorable Mikie Sherrill
Member of U.S. Congress (NJ-11)
The Honorable Daniel T. Kildee
Member of U.S. Congress (MI-5)
The Honorable Chrissy Houlahan
Member of U.S. Congress (PA-6)
The Honorable Ayanna Pressley
Member of U.S. Congress (MA-7)
The Honorable Linda T. Sánchez
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-38)
The Honorable Carolyn Bourdeaux
Member of U.S. Congress (GA-7)
The Honorable Marie Newman
Member of U.S. Congress (IL-3)
The Honorable Debbie Dingell
Member of U.S. Congress (MI-12)
The Honorable Katie Porter
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-45)
The Honorable Jamie Raskin
Member of U.S. Congress (MD-8)
The Honorable Jim Costa
Member of U.S. Congress (CA-16)
The Honorable Nikema Williams
Member of U.S. Congress (GA-5)
The Honorable A. Donald McEachin
Member of U.S. Congress (VA-4)
Coalition Members
United State of Women
United State of Women helps create a world where women and all people of marginalized genders can thrive by uniting organizations, public figures, elected officials, and everyday feminists of all genders to drive policy and culture change.
Families for Safe Streets
Families for Safe Streets is an organization that confronts the epidemic of traffic violence by advocating for life-saving changes and providing support to those who have been impacted by crashes.
Event Partners
“Gender Bias and Equity in Transportation”
Panel in Partnership with WTS- DC
April 7th, 2022
VERITY NOW hosted a discussion in partnership with Women Transportation Seminar – Washington, D.C. Chapter (WTS-DC) on gender bias in our transportation system, gaps in our knowledge and data, and what can be done to create a more equitable system.
The Honorable Susan Molinari, Former Congresswoman and Co-Chair of Verity NOW
Natalie A. Draisin, Director, North American Office & United Nations Representative, FIA Foundation
“Invisible Bias: The Fatal Impact of a World Designed for Men”
September 30th, 2021
VERITY NOW and the United State of Women (USOW) held a virtual event to discuss gender bias in data and learn how the public can take action to advocate for equity in design.
Moderator, Valerie Jarrett, Civic Nation Board Chair and Co-Chair of United State of Women
Caroline Criado Perez, Writer and Campaigner, Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
Reshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who Code
Susan Molinari, Founder, Susan Molinari Strategies LLC consulting firm, Former Member of Congress (R-NY)
“Why Car Safety Regulations are Killing Women”
March 16th - 20, 2021
The brilliant feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez (author of Invisible Women) will talk with Chris O'Connor - renowned crash safety expert - and former US Congresswoman Susan Molinari, about how to change the regulations that favor men, and leave 1352 women dead and 51,071 permanently injured each year because of inequity in-car safety.
Caroline Criado Perez, Writer, and Campaigner, Invisible Women
Susan Molinari, Founder, Advisor, Susan Molinari Strategies LLC consulting firm, Former Member of Congress (R-NY)
Christopher O'Connor, CEO, Humanetics Group
Jon Decker, White House Correspondent, Gray TV
Petition Signers
Almost 2,000 individuals have signed the Change.org petition since November 2021, demanding updated car crash testing standards and technology that account for women and other vulnerable groups.
Comments from Supporters:
“It is outrageous that women aren’t even taken into consideration when testing for the safety of vehicles. As a single mother of 3 girls, I hope you will consider our needs to be as safe as possible when driving.”
“Protect women in car crashes by making cars safer for them.”
NCAP Rulemaking Commenters
Thank you to everyone who has shared their hopes for equality in crash testing with NHTSA during the NCAP comment period. So many have taken the time to voice their opinions and tell their stories, and we are grateful for their participation in the rulemaking process.
“Female drivers are facing massive safety inequities. “Shrink it and pink it” is a common phrase used in the product creation world for designing products for women. Women are too often left no choice than to use products that were designed for men, just scaled down and colored pink. In the best case it is insulting, in the worst case it’s deadly. Our government’s biased car safety tests make women in car crashes 17% more likely to die and 73% more likely to sustain serious injury. It is our civil right to be as protected as our male counterparts behind the wheel.”
— Karen Reuther, Senior Fellow - Advanced Leadership Initiative, Harvard University; Former Creative Executive - NIKE/Reebok
“We can take a major step towards rectifying this inequity, and signifying our leadership in global road safety, by including updates to female crash test dummy requirements to save thousands of lives per year.”
— Natalie Draisin, FIA Foundation
AARP believes that NHTSA should expand the range of dummies used in crash tests to be more representative of the general population by using those designed to better simulate the impacts of crashes on older adults…crash test dummies “should also better represent younger women, because test dummies based on male bodies lead to test results that are not applicable to women.”
— AARP
"Crashworthiness testing would be greatly improved through the development and use of
dummies that more accurately represent various demographic groups—particularly women."
—Consumer Reports
“As a female motorcycle rider, as well as a car driver, road safety is of extreme importance to me. The clear gender safety gap is distressing and should no longer be the status quo.”
— Kathy Calvin, Former President & CEO, UN Foundation
“Given the improvements driven by NCAP when it was first introduced, NSC believes there is opportunity, with an updated protocol, to realize big safety improvements. According to the National Roadway Safety Strategy, women are 17% more likely than men to be killed in comparable crashes, and 73% more likely than men to be injured in a motor vehicle crash. 38 Anthropomorphic crash test dummies used today lack proper representation. Women buy about 50% of vehicles and are involved in about 80% of vehicle purchase decisions, yet they have no way to find out what are the safest vehicles for them.”