Crash Test Dummies Shaped Like Women Would Improve Vehicle Safety, Senators Say

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It's good established that U.S. clang trial dummies don't bespeak nan population. While female clang trial dummies are utilized successful different parts of nan world, our clang tests still only usage a dummy representing an mean 5'9", 171-pound man, and a scaled-down antheral creation that much intimately resembles a 12-year-old woman than an big woman. Previous calls to alteration this person gone unanswered, truthful now a bipartisan group of senators wants to unit a alteration by law.

CBS News reports that Senators Deb Fischer, Tammy Duckworth, Marsha Blackburn, and Patty Murray are sponsoring nan She Drives Act. This measure would require NHTSA clang tests to see nan THOR-05F dummy, representing a 5th-percentile female astatine 4'11" and 104 pounds, successful summation to nan 50th-percentile antheral THOR-50M dummy presently successful usage for beforehand effect tests. The THOR-05F simulates not only size differences betwixt men and women but besides anatomical differences. Side effect testing would besides require circumstantial 50th-percentile antheral and 5th-percentile female models to beryllium used.

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CBS News cites a NHTSA study stating that women are 73% much apt to suffer injuries successful a clang than men. This accusation appears to travel from a 2019 University of Virginia report alternatively than NHTSA, but nan information is nary little valid. NHTSA has besides recovered that a seat-belted female driver aliases beforehand rider is 17% much apt to beryllium killed than a man. 

While IIHS incorrectly assumes nan logic for this is that women thrust smaller cars, nan existent logic is that cars are being designed to walk clang tests utilizing dummies that simulate men, not women. It's only earthy that manufacturers will creation their cars to walk these authorities tests, contempt nan tests being flawed successful this way. Half of each drivers are women, and cars should beryllium designed truthful that anyone of immoderate gender will beryllium safer.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office had previously requested that NHTSA alteration its testing methodology to return "more-vulnerable classes of occupants," specified arsenic women and children, into account. The She Drives Act would springiness this instruction teeth, requiring NHTSA to comply. It's 1 of nan fewer things Democrat and Republican Senators look to work together connected these days.