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U.S. introduces first female crash test dummy to close decades-long safety gap
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
In a move hailed as decades overdue, the U.S. Department of Transportation introduced the country’s first crash test dummy modeled on female anatomy. The new model, called the THOR-05F, marks a significant step toward addressing long-standing gender disparities in vehicle safety testing.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled the THOR-05F on Thursday, November 20th, emphasizing the importance of designing safety tools that reflect the diversity of drivers. “After years of delays, our team has worked hard over the last eight months to finalize the details for this new, state-of-the-art female crash test dummy,” Duffy said.
The THOR-05F will be formally incorporated into federal crash testing protocols after a final rule is published, according to the Department of Transportation.
Why women face greater risk in crashes
Despite men making up the majority of annual traffic fatalities, studies have consistently shown that women are 73 percent more likely than men to suffer serious injuries in car crashes of similar severity. They also face a heightened risk of specific injuries, including trauma to the pelvis and liver.
Until now, however, crash tests in the United States have relied primarily on a decades-old male model: the Hybrid III dummy, introduced in 1978 and based on the average male body at the time, which measures out to five feet nine inches tall and weighing 171 pounds. It remains the standard in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s five-star crash ratings.
This outdated model has contributed to a critical gap in vehicle safety assessments, leaving women less protected in crashes. “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,” said Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, co-sponsor of the She Drives Act. Her colleague, Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska, echoed the sentiment: “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.”
A more advanced, lifelike female model
Compared to the old Hybrid III, the new THOR-05F represents a technological leap forward. With over 150 sensors, it can collect three times more injury data, allowing researchers to assess a wider range of trauma, including skull fractures, brain injuries, facial fractures, and lower-body impacts.
The dummy’s design allows for full-body motion (forward, backward, side-to-side, and twisting), offering a more realistic simulation of crash forces. Unlike the rigid-spined Hybrid III, the THOR-05F has a flexible spine that allows it to sit in various postures and measure forces along the lower back.
Crucially, the THOR-05F also includes abdominal and pelvic sensors, features completely absent in earlier models. These additions allow safety experts to assess risks to internal organs and bone structures that are statistically more vulnerable in female occupants. The new dummy can even measure forces in the arms, offering yet another improvement over its male-only predecessor.
“Its shape and response in a crash are based on female bodies,” the Department of Transportation said in a statement, “which will ultimately enable better assessment of brain, thorax, abdominal, pelvic, and lower leg injury risk for small female occupants.”
Closing the gap in global safety standards
The United States is not the first to embrace gender-specific crash test dummies. Countries like Sweden and Australia have already implemented similar models in their testing protocols. But for U.S. regulators and advocates, this rollout marks a long-awaited change in federal safety standards.
Jonathan Morrison, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, called the move “a long overdue step toward the full adoption of this new dummy for use in our safety ratings and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.”
As the THOR-05F prepares to enter formal use, many see this as not just a technical update, but a critical acknowledgment of the safety needs of half the driving population. While years in the making, this innovation is set to reshape the future of vehicle safety testing and potentially save thousands of lives.The post U.S. introduces first female crash test dummy to close decades-long safety gap first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.
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