Engage at Work: Legislative Update
On the previous pages, Kristie D’ambrosio-Correll, Founder and CEO of Dacora Motors, shared with readers the importance of safety in her individualized luxury car design when automotive design has, for far too long, assumed one body type: the 95th-percentile male.
Engage featured the bipartisan She Drives Act in the July 26, 2025, issue of its biweekly newsletter, The Thread, with gratitude for the bill’s co-sponsors:
Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Susan Collins (R-ME), Peter Welch (D-VT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Katie Britt (R-AL), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Steve Daines (R-MT)
Every year, there are more than 6 million car accidents in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Statistically, NHTSA says women are less likely than men to be involved in an auto accident, but 73% more likely to be injured when one occurs. These statistics reflect why the NHTSA’s practice of using crash test dummies that are modeled on men’s bodies is both outdated and dangerous.
Led by Senators Duckworth and Fischer, the She Develops Regulations In Vehicle Equality and Safety Act (S.161) would enhance passenger vehicle safety by requiring the use of the most advanced testing devices available — including a female crash test dummy and a more technologically advanced male dummy. With a bipartisan coalition of 11 senators and the dedicated advocacy work of the non-profit, Drive Us Forward, the bill passed unanimously out of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in February.
Engage is pleased to share that just before printing this issue, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy unveiled the design details for the first-of-its-kind advanced female crash test dummy — known as the THOR-05F. It is now available for manufacturers to use in the design and testing of their vehicles.
The new Thor-05F female crash test dummy is more representative of women’s bodies than the current female dummy. More sensors allow carmakers to assess risk for female passengers to a greater degree.
