October 1, 2023

October Updates

Hello all, and happy October.

While I am pleased to share the below updates, I want to first acknowledge the passing of Zoleka Mandela. Zoleka was an inspiration to many, and we are so grateful for her devoted work to improving road safety for all. May her memory be a blessing.

As for Drive updates, we are disappointed that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) failed to release their promised report on the gender discrimination in crash safety testing. As you may remember, the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) March report mandated the release of a comprehensive plan to address the disparity, to which NHTSA agreed. Unfortunately, the designated 180-day period expired on September 4th. Although their delays are discouraging, we will continue to hold NHTSA accountable and encourage them to rectify their decades of discrimination.

Second, we are so proud of and thankful for Wisdom Board member Susan Cronn’s work on developing accurate female crash test dummies. Susan, a trauma surgery nurse practitioner, has been leading the charge in using real-world data to better understand injury patterns in female car crash victims. Learn more about Susan’s work here and here.

Third, we have lots to look forward to! This upcoming month, keep an eye out for Let’s Talk events with Sam Weinberg, Executive Director of Path to Progress and Alison Collard de Beaufort, global youth ambassador for road safety and founder of Vision Zero Youth Council. We will also be presenting at the National Organization for Youth Safety’s 2023 North America Youth Networking and Showcase event on October 12th at 7 PM. Learn more here!

Warmly,

Maria