Years ago we told you the story of crash test dummies, those dummies full of sensors that are used in crash tests to find out which parts of the body can be damaged in an accident. They were created in 1949 and there are many different constitutions, even obese… but it took 73 years to see a female crash test dummie.
Back in 1994 the first child-sized dummy appeared, but it seems that until now we had not seen any female crash test dummy. You’ve seen all sorts of them, but to test how safe a vehicle is, until now researchers were using a scaled-down version of the male crash test dummy, with the proportions of a 12-year-old girl.
Thus, for more than 70 years, crash tests have always been carried out on men, relegating the physical constitution of women to second place. It is not a trivial aspect, the physical constitution can vary considerably the consequences of a crash. And it seems that it influences. According to US government data, although women are roughly half of the people involved in crashes, they account for a much higher percentage of people injured in crashes.
But that’s over. As we read on the BBC, a team of Swedish engineers has finally developed the first crash test dummie designed based on the body of the average woman (162 cm tall and 62 kg in weight). It has been developed in a laboratory run by Astrid Linder, Director of Road Safety at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute.
Dr. Linder believes her research can help change the way cars are designed in the future, and highlights key differences between men and women: They are shorter and lighter, and have different muscle strengths. “Because of this, they physically respond differently in a car accident,” Linder tells the BBC.
Now that the dummy has been developed, policymakers would have to modify the testing requirements for it to be used. And it is that hpy today, as we read on the BBC, “there is no legal requirement for car safety tests to be carried out with a dummy other than the average man.” Both in European Union and US tests.
Source: BBC
