U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled the THOR-05F female crash test dummy on 20/11. This dummy aims to significantly reduce the higher injury rates women experience compared to men in certain crash scenarios.
Recent studies show women are 73% more likely to sustain severe injuries in frontal collisions than men in the same accident. Female drivers and front-seat passengers also face a 17% higher fatality risk than their male counterparts in similar seating positions.
The current female-representative crash test dummy, Hybrid III, weighs 48 kg and is 1,2 m tall. Created in the 1970s, Hybrid III was based on the 5th percentile of shortest American women and was essentially a scaled-down male dummy. THOR-05F, however, has been engineered from the ground up to accurately represent women.
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THOR-05F - the first female dummy in car crash tests. *Photo: NBC News* |
It took approximately 4,5 decades for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to approve an anatomically representative dummy for the average woman. This approval comes despite advanced models, like Humanetics' THOR-05F, from a leading crash test dummy manufacturer, having been available for years.
Jonathan Morrison, a NHTSA representative, stated that this announcement allows car manufacturers to begin purchasing and using the dummy in tests. This will enable them to learn more about its functionality before NHTSA officially approves it for regulatory use and evaluation.
While THOR-05F is not expected to be fully integrated into new car safety testing until 2027 or 2028, the technical specifications released by the road safety agency mark a significant step forward. This data will empower car manufacturers to design safety features based on these new specifications, replacing current standards that have not been updated since the 1980s.
In an announcement first shared with NBC News, Duffy criticized "years of delay" by previous administrations in taking this crucial step.
According to Humanetics CEO Chris O’Connor, the dummy is equipped with over 150 advanced sensors, some installed in the legs. In the same accident, female drivers face a nearly 80% higher injury risk compared to male drivers.
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