February 06, 2025

Bipartisan Duckworth-Fischer-Murray-Blackburn Bill to Help Improve Passenger Vehicle Safety Passes Committee

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to help modernize vehicle safety tests by requiring the use of the most advanced testing devices available successfully passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST). The bipartisan She Develops Regulations In Vehicle Equality and Safety (She DRIVES) Act would help enhance passenger vehicle safety by updating U.S. crashworthiness testing procedures. The bill is estimated to help save more than 1,300 lives while saving billions of dollars in economic impact from preventing and mitigating deaths and tens of thousands of injuries.

“We can be doing so much more to improve roadway safety and make sure visiting a family member or a routine trip to the grocery store doesn’t end in tragedy,” said Senator Duckworth. “I’m proud our bipartisan legislation passed through committee and is now that much closer to helping us save lives by ensuring our crash test standards better represent the safety needs of all Americans. I’ll continue to work with Senator Fischer as we push for the full Senate to pass this bipartisan bill—because all Americans deserve safer roadways.”

“Today, women are 17 percent more likely to be killed in auto crashes than men,” said Senator Fischer. “That tragic statistic is a preventable one. Our bill will update crash test dummy standards to reflect the diversity of drivers on our roads, ensuring protection and safety for more Americans. I’m grateful a bipartisan group of my colleagues voted yes on this commonsense legislation, and I look forward to getting it passed soon.”

Duckworth has long been a leader in making our transportation system safer and more accessible for all Americans. Last December, Duckworth announced more than $2 million in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to improve crash reporting in Illinois to help make our roads as safe as possible and reduce the number of lives lost to car crashes. As Chair of the CST Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation in the 118th Congress, Duckworth also helped author the landmark bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 that was signed into law last year and included several of her provisions to improve safety, expand the aviation workforce, enhance protections for travelers with disabilities while safeguarding strong pilot certification standards that help ensure our pilots are prepared to handle any emergency and keep the flying public safe.

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