This new crash test dummy could keep women safer in car accidents

Bald, faceless and empirically lifelike, this dummy may not be much to look at. But experts say it is a quantum leap forward in a decades long effo...

Bald, faceless and empirically lifelike, this dummy may not be much to look at.

But experts say it is a quantum leap forward in a decades-long effort to make cars safer for women.

In November, regulators unveiled THOR-05F - short for “Test device for Human Occupant Restraint, 5th-percentile Female” - the first crash test dummy specifically based on a woman’s body.

While automakers and regulators have been testing for female crash impacts for 25 years, they’ve been using a test dummy that’s essentially a scaled-down version of the male. The THOR-05F’s movements are more humanlike and anatomically precise, with triple the number of body sensors. Developers say it will deliver more detailed data automakers need to address the specific risks women face, including greater chance of lower leg injuries or dying in a crash.

A new report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week, underscored the risks women may face, suggesting that females see greater odds for injury in vehicle crashes than their male counterparts.