October 11th, 2010

The US Department of Transportation is now using female crash test dummies for the first time. While this could sound like the beginning of a bad joke, it is far from dumb and could actually save lives. The dummies are smaller in size and will simulate more accurately how cars react in accidents with females inside.

While the US has just begun using female dummies, it is not a new idea. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a non-profit group funded by auto insurance companies, began using female dummies in 2003 when, according to ABC News, “research showed women could be more vulnerable in these accidents.”

Adrian Lund, from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, had this to say: “Smaller people have their seats further forward—that tends to put their heads right in the middle of the window. There’s nothing between their heads and whatever is coming in from outside.”

We wonder then, US Dept of Transpo, what took you guys so long?