United States regulators have unveiled the nation’s first advanced female crash test dummy, marking a significant step toward addressing a critical safety gap that has historically put women drivers at higher risk of serious injury or death in collisions.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy introduced the new THOR-05F dummy, built from the ground up to accurately reflect female anatomy and biomechanics. This initiative responds to years of advocacy from safety researchers.
Historically, “female” crash test dummies were often simply scaled-down versions of male models, lacking specific adaptations for women’s bodies. Some federal tests even placed these smaller dummies in the passenger seat, reserving the driver’s seat for a male dummy.
This oversight has contributed to stark disparities in accident outcomes. Women are 73% more likely than men to suffer serious injuries in identical frontal collisions, according to NBC News. Furthermore, female drivers and front-seat passengers are 17% more likely to die in such crashes.
The introduction of the THOR-05F dummy aims to close this “gender data gap,” a scientific concept describing the historical tendency to conduct research primarily with male participants. This has led to data that inadequately represents women in various fields, including health and safety.
The THOR-05F dummy stands approximately 150 cm (4.9 ft) tall and weighs 49 kg (108 lbs). It is equipped with advanced sensors and updated biomechanics that simulate female posture, muscle distribution, and joint behavior.
These capabilities allow it to measure forces and injuries in soft tissues, provide detailed chest deflection data, and track rotational head movement. This offers a more realistic assessment of how real bodies react in accidents than older Hybrid III dummies.
Regulators plan to integrate the THOR-05F into federal crash test protocols. This will require automakers to demonstrate their vehicles’ safety performance using both male and female dummies.
Future tests will ensure that safety features like airbags, seatbelt pressure, seat geometry, and crumple zones effectively protect a broader range of drivers.
While long overdue, testing with the new female dummy in the United States is projected to begin no earlier than 2027, with its mandatory use following thereafter. This move by the U.S. market is expected to encourage similar changes in other global markets.