Road safety officials are being urged to update crash test dummies for women

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Lawmakers in a letter are calling on road safety leaders to update standards for crash test dummies and advocate for the safety of women behind the wheel.

In recent years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has used the so-called Hybrid III 5th Female to represent the smallest portion of the adult female population in automotive crash tests.

According to the manufacturer's website, the dummy's design is based on a scaled-down version of its male counterpart.

On average, women are more likely than men to die or be injured in a car accident, according to a 2023 Government Accountability Office study.

“So it's very likely that some of the injuries are due to the car design not being appropriate for the location or manner in which women are being injured,” said Rep. Chellie Pingree.

Now Rep. Pingree, along with several lawmakers and members of the Democratic Women's Caucus, is sending a letter to encourage the use of updated female crash dummies; Proponents argue that something better reflects women's anatomy.

The letter encourages administrators to use the THOR-5F and WorldSid 5th Percentile Female crash test dummies for the New Car Assessment Program, which evaluates vehicle design for performance and safety.

Already 52 other members of Congress have signed the letter.

“I think most of them were like, ‘What? Is this still a problem?' I think we are in 2024 and we have the scientific data and the ability to do this,” explained Rep. Pingree.

Rep. Pingree says Mainer Maria Weston Kuhn helped bring the issue of gender inequality in crash testing to her attention.

After surviving a car accident while driving home from a family vacation in 2019, Kuhn and her mother suffered serious injuries.

“Seat belts are designed to stop your forward momentum by hitting your bones. As I walked forward, my seatbelt slipped past my hipbone and instead against my stomach, trapping and tearing my intestines against my spine,” Kuhn explained.

Now Kuhn is the founder and president of Drive Us Forward, a youth group that advocates for the use of advanced female crash dummies in testing; especially in the driver's seat.

“And to use it [female crash dummies] “It doesn’t make sense to me that women aren’t as protected in vehicles as we use them.”

In a report released in March, NHTSA said it is taking several steps to address gender disparities in car crash outcomes and evaluate new safety standards.

NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to an NHTSA media contact based on the letter's recommendations and is awaiting a response.

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