Maria Weston Kuhn, a survivor of a significant car crash in Ireland in 2019, is determined to find out why she and her mother suffered severe injuries while her father and brother, seated in the front, emerged without harm. Kuhn, now 25, reflected on the crash which led to emergency surgery and highlighted a critical issue: women experience a 73% higher likelihood of injury in frontal crashes compared to men, due to outdated safety testing protocols that primarily utilize male crash test dummies.
Upon returning home to Maine, Kuhn discovered an article from Consumer Reports that her grandmother had saved for her. It revealed that the crash test dummy utilized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), known as the Hybrid III, has been in use since the 1970s and was designed based on a male body model. This sparked Kuhn’s activism, leading her to establish Drive US Forward—a nonprofit aimed at raising public awareness and advocating for the legislation mandating the integration of advanced female crash test dummies into vehicle safety tests.
The incorporation of female dummies in safety testing is crucial, as the NHTSA's safety ratings can affect which cars are considered safe and which get pulled from the market. Senator Deb Fischer, a Republican from Nebraska, expressed her support for Kuhn’s cause, emphasizing the need for crash test dummies that accurately reflect both female and male anatomical differences in order to enhance vehicle safety.
Despite bipartisan support for the "She Drives Act," legislation to update safety requirements has faced hurdles, resulting in a slow progression. Each year, approximately 40,000 individuals die in car accidents in the United States, underscoring the importance of this legislative change.
The Hybrid III dummy, developed in 1978, replicates the size and weight of the average male at that time and does not accurately portray the physiological differences between men and women. In contrast, Humanetics Group has spent over a decade developing a more sophisticated female dummy, known as the THOR 5F, equipped with precise sensors reflecting the anatomical variances that lead to different injury outcomes in crashes. The THOR 5F, which costs around $1 million, has proven to better predict injuries in women, a stark contrast to the current female representation, which is simply a smaller version of the male model.
Other countries, including several in Europe and Asia, have already adopted the advanced THOR dummy for their testing procedures. However, some American automakers express skepticism about the THOR's application, arguing that it may complicate interpretations ofVehicle safety, claiming that it could exaggerate injury risks and undermine the effectiveness of safety features like seat belts and airbags.
The pressing need for a better understanding of how safety measures affect women was highlighted by Bridget Walchesky, a 19-year-old who faced multiple surgeries following a car crash in Wisconsin. She noted that while seat belts likely saved her life, they also exacerbated some of her injuries, indicating a gap in safety designs tailored to women's physiology.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing car manufacturers, has proposed enhancing existing crash test dummies rather than introducing new models, asserting quicker safety improvements can be achieved this way. However, the evidence supporting the effectiveness of Humanetics’ THOR dummies in predicting various injuries compared to the Hybrid has been mixed—some studies praised them, while others raised concerns regarding chest injury predictions.
As of now, the NHTSA plans to incorporate the THOR 5F into its safety tests, but there is an acknowledgment of the potential delays ahead. Recent reports have highlighted several missed deadlines in the development of crash dummy enhancements, including the THOR models. Kuhn, frustrated by the slow progress but motivated by her experience, remains hopeful that the automotive industry can adapt and prioritize comprehensive safety designs that consider women’s needs.
