The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and American car makers have been conducting crash tests for decades, but only with dummies modeled after the male anatomy. That’s changed recently thanks to new dummy designs that represent females, and the test results achieved using these dummies will be used to enhance the vehicle safety ratings system, as well as the design of new automobile models.
General Motors has begun employing 20 varieties of crash test dummies designs, modeled after men, women children and infants of various dimensions. Each dummy can cost up to $200,000, and General Motors has 200 of them, 35 of which are based on female anatomy. Some are distinguished only by their dimensions, while other dummy designs feature simulated breasts and proportionately larger hips.
Because females tend to have lower bone density and smaller bones than males, a woman is often in greater danger of being injured or killed in the event of an auto collision than a man would be in the same accident.
Women also tend to have less muscle mass in their necks than men, on average, which increases their chances of getting whiplash in an accident. In most cases, an average sized man will have a better chance of surviving an auto collision than an average size woman or child.
As a San Bernardino car accident attorney I am happy the federal government and American automakers are introducing innovations that might make the road safer for all of us. If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident, please consider contacting a personal injury lawyer in San Bernardino.