How the She DRIVES Act Aims to Make Cars Safer for Women
Car safety has improved a lot over the years, but it hasn’t improved equally for everyone. A growing body of research shows that women face a higher risk of serious injury in crashes compared to men. That gap isn’t random, but reflects decades of design choices, testing standards, and policy decisions that didn’t account for how women’s bodies respond in collisions.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a crash, understanding these differences can help explain why injuries happen and what rights you may have.
Women Are More Likely to Be Injured in Car Accidents
The numbers are hard to ignore. In the United States, women are 73 percent more likely to be seriously injured in a vehicle crash than men, and 17 percent more likely to die.
These differences show up across many types of collisions, from rear-end crashes to high-speed impacts. Statistically, women get more injured in car accidents than men, even when factors like seatbelt use and crash type are similar.
This isn’t just about driving behavior. It points to a deeper issue tied to how vehicles have been designed and tested over time.
A History of Car Safety Built Around Male Drivers
Early vehicles had almost no safety features. There were no seatbelts, no airbags, and very little crash testing. When injuries happened, the blame often fell on drivers instead of the vehicles themselves.
As safety features started to develop, many car companies resisted change. Seatbelts, for example, were initially opposed by manufacturers who worried they would hurt sales.
By the 1970s, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was created to oversee vehicle safety standards. That was a major step forward, but even then, the testing process had a major blind spot.
Crash test dummies were modeled after the “average” male body. That standard shaped how cars were built, how restraints were designed, and how safety ratings were determined. Women were not part of the equation.
Why Crash Test Standards Have Left Women at Risk
For decades, safety testing relied almost entirely on male-based crash dummies. Even when a “female” dummy was introduced in the mid-2000s, it didn’t truly represent an adult woman’s body. Instead, it was closer in size and structure to a 12-year-old boy.
That mismatch matters. Women’s bodies respond differently in crashes due to factors like:
- Differences in pelvis structure
- Variations in muscle mass and distribution
- Differences in height and seating position
- Greater susceptibility to certain neck and lower body injuries
Because these differences weren’t fully accounted for in testing, many safety systems, like airbags and seatbelts, were optimized for male bodies. As a result, women have faced a higher risk of injury in real-world crashes.
The Long Delay in Using Female Crash Test Dummies
Calls for better representation in crash testing date back to the 1980s. It took decades for meaningful progress to happen.
A more advanced female crash test dummy was developed around 2014, designed to better reflect the anatomy and biomechanics of women. Even so, the female model still has not been widely used in standard crash testing.
At the same time, male crash dummies have continued to be updated and refined.
In 2025, leadership at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration signaled that they would move forward with incorporating improved female dummies. Yet they are still not a required part of current testing protocols.
This delay has real consequences that are consistently overlooked by car manufacturers. Cars on the road today are still largely built and tested using standards centered on male bodies.
The Push for Safer Standards: The She DRIVES Act
Efforts are underway to close this gap. The She Develops Regulations In Vehicle Equality and Safety (She DRIVES) Act is a bipartisan bill introduced in 2025.
The law would require:
- Use of advanced female crash test dummies
- Inclusion of real-world injury data for women
- Updated safety standards that reflect both male and female occupants
Despite support from safety advocates, some automakers have pushed back through lobbying efforts, slowing progress. This ongoing debate highlights a larger issue - vehicle safety is not just about engineering, it’s also shaped by policy and industry influence.
The First Recorded Fatality Shows a Pattern
The first person ever killed in an automobile accident was a woman. That fact often surprises people, but it also reflects how long these disparities have existed. From the earliest days of driving to modern crash data, women have faced risks that weren’t fully addressed in design and testing.
What This Means for Injury Claims After a Crash
When safety standards fail to protect certain groups, it raises important legal questions. If a vehicle’s design or safety system contributed to an injury, that may be a factor in a personal injury or product liability claim.
Cases involving serious injuries may involve:
- Vehicle design flaws
- Inadequate safety testing
- Failure to account for known risk differences
- Defective restraint systems or airbags
At Freeburn Law, we take the time to understand how and why an injury happened. That includes looking beyond the crash itself and examining whether the vehicle or its safety features played a role.
How Freeburn Law Can Help After a Car Accident
If you’ve been injured in a crash, you don’t have to figure this out on your own. The team at Freeburn Law works with clients across Central Pennsylvania to pursue full compensation for medical care, lost income, and long-term recovery.
We handle cases involving:
- Car accidents
- Tractor trailer crashes
- Motorcycle and bicycle injuries
- Pedestrian accidents
- Wrongful death claims
We listen to your story, build a strategy around your needs, and fight for the outcome you deserve. If you or a loved one has been hurt, contact Freeburn Law for a free, confidential consultation. Let Freeburn fight for you.
Learn More About the Research Behind These Findings
Many of the issues discussed here were highlighted in a recent article by The New York Times titled “Buckle Up, Women. Cars Still Aren’t Built for You.” It explores how safety testing has overlooked women for decades and why change has taken so long.
The conversation around vehicle safety is evolving, but the data already makes one thing clear, there’s still work to be done to make roads safer for everyone.
