The U.S. government announced major design changes it wants to implement to make the female version of the vehicle crash test dummy more lifelike, potentially replacing a model used for decades that is based almost entirely around the body of a man despite higher injury risks for women.
Department of Transportation officials will consider using the new dummy in the government’s vehicle crash test five-star ratings once a final rule is adopted, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday night in a news release.
Women are 73% more likely to be injured in a head-on crash, and they are 17% more likely to be killed in a car crash, than men.
The standard crash test dummy used in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration five-star vehicle testing was developed in 1978 and was modeled after a 5-foot-9 (175-centimeter), 171-pound (78-kilogram) man. The female dummy is smaller and has a rubber jacket to represent breasts. It’s routinely tested in the passenger or back seat but seldom in the driver’s seat, even though the majority of licensed drivers are women.
But the change is not guaranteed to happen. Some American automakers have been skeptical and a group representing auto insurers has already said it thinks the current crash test dummies are fine.
The new female dummy endorsed by the department more accurately reflects differences between men and women, including the shape of the neck, collarbone, pelvis, and legs. It’s outfitted with more than 150 sensors, the department said.
Maria Weston Kuhn, a law student at New York University, started lobbying members of Congress to pass a law requiring the new female dummy after surviving a 2019 crash in Ireland in which her seat belt slid off her hips and ruptured her intestines. She welcomed Duffy’s support but said she won’t celebrate until NHTSA incorporates the new model into its testing — a step that has been delayed numerous times.
“I fear that with this announcement everybody will throw up their hands and say we’ve won,” Kuhn said Friday. “But we are far from crossing the finish line.”
Some American automakers have been skeptical, arguing the new model may exaggerate injury risks and undercut the value of some safety features such as seat belts and airbags.
Despite Duffy’s announcement, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research arm funded by auto insurers, continues to advocate for the current line of dummies used to represent women and has seen dramatic improvements in safety as a result, spokesperson Joe Young said.
“Certainly we are going to continue to monitor the new tools and perhaps do some additional research,” Young said. “But for now, our researchers are content and confident that the dummies we’re using are doing a good job.”
Lawmakers and transportation secretaries from the past two presidential administrations have expressed support for new crash test rules and safety requirements, but developments have been slow.
U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer, a Republican from Nebraska, and Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, both released statements welcoming the female crash test dummy announcement.
“Any progress here is good because there’s simply no good reason why women are more likely to be injured or die in car crashes,” Duckworth said.
Fischer introduced legislation, the She Drives Act, that would require the most advanced testing devices available, including a female crash test dummy. Duckworth is a co-sponsor.
“It’s far past time to make these testing standards permanent, which will help save thousands of lives and make America’s roads safer for all drivers,” Fischer said.
The department said the new specifications will be available for manufacturers to build models and for the automotive industry to begin testing them in vehicles.
