By Were Kelly
In a landmark move for automotive safety, US regulators have unveiled the THOR-5F, the first advanced crash test dummy modelled on the female body, designed to address a long-standing gender bias in vehicle testing.
The introduction of the new dummy is expected to provide critical data that could significantly reduce injury and death rates for women drivers and passengers.
Historically, crash test dummies have been based on the average male physique, leading to safety systems and car designs that are optimised for male occupants.
Statistics have shown that women are up to 17% more likely to die and 73% more likely to be seriously injured in a comparable car crash, a disparity experts attribute in part to this testing gap.
The THOR-5F represents the most sophisticated attempt to correct this imbalance.
A senior engineer at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated, “The THOR-5F isn’t just a scaled-down male dummy.
It accurately represents the biomechanics of a smaller stature, different muscle strength, and variations in spine and pelvis shape, which dramatically affect how forces are experienced in a collision.”
Safety advocates have hailed the development as a long-overdue step towards equity on the road.
“The automotive industry has been designing for men for decades, with women as an afterthought. This dummy is a crucial tool to finally make safety equitable,” said the president of a vehicle safety non-profit.
The new data gathered from tests using the THOR-5F could potentially spur industry-wide redesigns of elements like seat belts, airbags, and seat structures to better protect a wider range of body types.
The next phase involves integrating the THOR-5F into federal vehicle safety rating protocols, a process that will likely take several years. This development marks a fundamental shift towards a more inclusive approach to safety, ensuring that the cars on the road protect everyone inside them.
Source: NPR
