The Federal government is adding another female to the team—a female crash test dummy. No, this isn’t the latest DEI hire. The NHTSA wants data on why so many more women than men get injured in car crashes.

About darn time. We at MotorBiscuit have argued for years that the industry needs female crash test dummies. For decades, the NHTSA relied on multiple dummy sizes based on male anatomy. The smaller ones matched the size of an average woman, and the logic seemed to be “close enough.” But the data says otherwise.

A 2019 University of Virginia study found that women get injured far more often while driving. Here are the details: “Belted female auto occupants have 73% greater odds of being seriously injured in frontal car crashes compared to belted males.” The researchers controlled for collision severity, occupant age, stature, BMI, and vehicle model year.

They also found that women suffer different types of injuries than men. Females face much greater risk for several injury categories, especially severe lower-extremity injuries. The study theorized “fundamental biomechanical factors that contribute to increased risk for females” but admitted we don’t yet know exactly what they are. Long story short, we need more data. And that means crash test dummies based on female anatomy.

The government finally brings backup

One researcher even admitted, “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not have the resources needed to address this issue.” Then everything changed.

The U.S. DOT just introduced its newest member: THOR-05F. She replaces the Hybrid III 5th percentile dummy, a smaller test figure still based on male anatomy. THOR-05F arrived ready to work. “Outfitted with more than 150 cutting-edge sensors, the THOR-05F is more durable, accurate, and lifelike, enabling it to collect three times more injury measurements than current dummies.” Hopefully this gives the NHTSA exactly what it needs to find out why women face a greater injury risk.

There’s also an ironic twist. For years, crash tests relied on a dummy shaped like a 5’9”, 171-pound man. If the average married man or father walked into a dealership and had to choose between a car engineered to protect him or one engineered to protect his kids and partner, he’d probably choose the latter.