U.S. Forces Automakers to Address a Fatal Gender Discrepancy with Female Crash Test Dummy | Carscoops

      US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy introduced the world's first female crash-test dummy this week.

      The new THOR-05F dummy has been designed to better reflect the anatomy, size, and injury patterns of women.

      Automakers will now be mandated to use female dummies during federal safety testing.

      The U.S. is finally acknowledging the needs of half its population in crash testing. Responding to a longstanding plea from safety researchers, Secretary Duffy has launched the first advanced female crash-test dummy in the country.

      Instead of merely being a smaller version of a male dummy, this new model has been specifically designed to accurately represent women.

      It's surprising that this hasn't existed before, especially considering women account for about 50 percent of all drivers. Historically, American crash-testing standards have predominantly utilized male dummies.

      When "female" dummies were used in the past, they typically were just smaller male dummies, lacking any significant biomechanical differences crucial in an impact.

      In certain federal tests, the smaller dummy was even positioned in the passenger seat, consistently leaving the driver’s seat for the male dummy.

      The data disparity is significant. Women are 73 percent more likely to suffer serious injuries compared to men in comparable head-on collisions. Furthermore, female drivers and front-seat passengers face a 17 percent higher risk of fatality than their male counterparts, as reported by NBC News.

      Why This Dummy Is Important

      Introducing the THOR-05F. This dummy is modeled after the average 5th-percentile woman and is equipped with sensors and advanced biomechanics that accurately depict female anatomy, posture, muscle distribution, and joint behavior.

      It can assess forces and injuries in areas that previous Hybrid III dummies could not, including soft-tissue impacts, detailed chest deflection, and rotational head movement that more closely resembles real human reactions in actual crashes.

      For car manufacturers, this dummy represents more than just an advanced piece of equipment; it will soon be a requirement. Regulators plan to include the THOR-05F in federal crash-testing guidelines, ensuring that future vehicles prioritize the safety of all, rather than just the hypothetical slim male that has dominated safety testing for years.

      Automakers will be required to demonstrate safety performance using both male and female dummies, ensuring that features like airbags, seatbelt tensioning, seating arrangements, and crumple zones are effective for a broader spectrum of drivers.

      When Will It Be Implemented?

      Safety advocates deem this development long overdue, and despite its introduction this week, testing with the new dummy won't commence until at least 2027, with eventual mandatory implementation.

      Manufacturers may express concerns about the increased testing time and costs, as well as the additional complexities in vehicle design that the outcomes could necessitate, but the potential benefit is safer vehicles for millions of women.