rash tests just got a major makeover — with women finally in the driver’s seat! On Thursday, the Transportation Department pulled back the curtain on its latest crash test creation: the THOR-5F, a high-tech dummy painstakingly modeled to mimic female anatomy. Advocates are cheering, saying this move could be a life-saver for millions of women nationwide.

For decades, America’s gold-standard car safety ratings have relied on a test dummy based on a 5-foot-9, 171-pound male — a relic from 1978! Meanwhile, the so-called ‘female’ dummy was, until now, just a downsized man with a rubber chest, and it was rarely snapped behind the wheel, even as women now make up the majority of U.S. drivers!

The stats are alarming: Women are a staggering 73% more likely to be injured, and 17% more likely to die when cars collide head-on compared to men. Drivers have long called for a crash test dummy that truly reflects female bodies, and the new THOR-5F model does just that — down to specially designed necks, hips, clavicles, and legs, all wired with over 150 sensors to capture how female bodies endure crashes.

But not everyone in the auto industry is convinced. Some automakers are grumbling, worried this new dummy might make their cars look less safe, or that advanced seatbelts and airbags could be unfairly judged. Progress has hit potholes too, with safety reforms crawling along despite support from transportation bosses in both Democratic and Republican White Houses.

Still, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are hitting the gas. Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer (Republican) and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth (Democrat) both applauded the department’s decision. Fischer, who sponsors the She Drives Act — a bill demanding high-tech, female-focused crash trials — declared, “It’s long overdue to lock in these protections and keep families safer on our roads.” Duckworth echoed the sentiment: “There’s simply no reason women should face higher risks in car crashes.”

As for car companies, they’re already being handed the blueprint: the Transportation Department just released the new specifications, giving manufacturers the tools to start building and trialing these more representative dummies. With the wheels finally in motion, women everywhere may soon see a safer ride.