Advancement of Gender Equity in Transportation Safety, Design, Development, and Evaluation of Roadside Safety Hardware – Phase II
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) provides guidelines for crash testing and evaluating highway safety features. However, these guidelines predominantly rely on research using male crash test dummies, potentially overlooking the safety needs of a broader group of motorists, particularly female drivers and passengers. This project aims to address this gap by investigating the suitability of the MASH impact safety requirements for a diverse range of motorists and recommending necessary adjustments. The proposed research will evaluate the existing criteria to identify potential shortcomings in representing female drivers and passengers. By conducting thorough assessments and performance evaluations of highway safety standards, the project seeks to identify areas requiring adjustments to ensure the safety of all road users, especially females. The project’s significance lies in its potential to enhance highway safety measures by considering the specific needs and characteristics of female motorists. Specifically, this proposal will (1) investigate the applicability of the current MASH impact safety requirements to female drivers and passengers, (2) identify potential shortcomings in the current criteria, (3) conduct preliminary computer simulations using both female and male dummies considering time and budget constraints, (4) provide recommendations for necessary adjustments, and (5) develop a future research plan to improve the inclusiveness and effectiveness of highway safety devices. By focusing on these specific objectives, this project aims to significantly contribute to improving highway safety standards and creating a safer, and more inclusive transportation infrastructure for all road users.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $170,000.00
-
Contract Numbers:
69A3552348307
-
Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
Mid-America Transportation Center
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
2200 Vine Street, PO Box 830851
Lincoln, NE United States 68583-0851 -
Project Managers:
Stearns, Amy
-
Performing Organizations:
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
1400 R Street
Lincoln, NE United States 68588 -
Principal Investigators:
Pajouh, Mojdeh
Perry, Logan
Stolle, Cody
Faller, Ronald
- Start Date: 20241115
- Expected Completion Date: 20260630
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Crash tests; Drivers; Dummies; Equity; Females; Gender; Highway safety; Passengers; Roadside structures
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01971748
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Mid-America Transportation Center
- Contract Numbers: 69A3552348307
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Nov 19 2025 2:50PM