We’re not telling you anything new by stating there are significant morphological differences between men’s and women’s bodies. Average height, for example, is about 5 feet 9 inches for males and 5 feet 3 inches for females. As for weight, we’re talking about approximately 195 pounds for men and 145 pounds for women.
The idea of designing a female dummy dates back to the 1980s
Women are 73% more likely than men to get injured in an accident
Their risk of death is 17% higher than men’s
And that’s not even counting the distinctions in muscle mass: 35% of body weight for men, 28% for women.
Considering all this, one thing becomes clear: the traditional dummies used by various organizations in crash tests, which represent the average male body, do not adequately assess vehicle safety for women.
Consequently, studies have shown that women are 73% more likely to be injured and 17% more likely to be killed than men in a collision.
Something had to be done. The truth is, work on this issue has been underway for several years, and recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it had approved the first advanced female test dummy. Bearing the code name THOR-5F (Test device for Human Occupant Restraint – 5th-percentile Female), the new crash test dummy is expected to reveal weaknesses of protection systems for smaller individuals (the average height and weight of a woman often mimic those of a teenager).
The goal, of course, in collaboration with manufacturers, will be to develop safety systems (seat belts, airbags, etc.) that are equally effective for both men and women.
To this end, the new dummy has three times as many sensors as the currently used model. It has a neck that can bend like a human’s, a spine that mimics our own movements, a thorax that shows deformation at four points, and legs that measure ankle movement and the forces exerted on the knees, shins, and thighs. Sensors for the pelvis, abdomen, and arms are also present, unlike the current dummy.
In short, data analysis will be more comprehensive with Thor-5F.
For women, this represents a significant advancement. As Chris O’Connor, CEO of dummy manufacturer Humanetics, explained, “a woman’s pelvis is more rounded and doesn’t hold the seat belt in the same way.”
This is why each sex must have its own representative dummy.
The demand for this dates back to the early 1980s. A smaller-format dummy was used before, but it wasn’t as sophisticated as the one just approved. Humanetics has been working with the American NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the equivalent of Transport Canada, since at least 2009 to develop crash test dummies.
Official use of Thor-5F has not yet begun, but it’s only a matter of time.
We’ll be following this closely.
