They are known as mannequins or emergency dummies. And they are so easily recognizable that even starred in a video game in the 90s Incredible crash dummies. Before dolls were sold to play with with them. But there are originals. mannequins whose mission is to help test security vehicle in the event of a collision. They usually mimic male and pediatric anatomy. And hard to find female mannequin for security testing.

Before mannequinstry what happens to the human body When there was an accident, inside or outside the vehicle, they came to be used animals, human corpses and even living volunteers. So that the tests could be more massive, without danger to anyone, it was decided to opt for mannequins in the shape of a person. Like wooden figurines that artists draw. The first one dates back to 1949 and was called Sierra Sam. Ever since the accident mannequins or test dummies helped save lives exposing the safety or unreliability of every new car model.

emergency dummies they entered mainstream use in the 1970s, then driven by both men and women. But the automotive industry chose to use as a model standard male body. Currently, this model is equivalent to a man weighing 78 kg, 1 meter tall and 75 centimeters tall. It was the 1970 standard. And perhaps it should be revisited. The same should happen with female model. In the United States, the female test dummy is designed for a standard 49 kilogram female with a height of 1 meter 50 centimeters. Do you fit one of the two models? As explained in the article BBC, the female standard was not suitable even in 1970, as it was equated to the lowest 5% of the female population. And no matter how safe the car is, accidents happen.

The first victim was a woman.

If you search the Internet who was first victim of a car accident you will find a name James William Lambert. The accident happened in Ohio, Ohio, USA in 1891. homemade car test. The first petrol and with one cylinder. The accident occurred when hitting the root of a tree. This caused the driver to lose control. There was injured but not dead.

But if we look at WikipediaSome time ago there was a car accident. Of course, it was a steam engine. It was August 31, 1869, and the main character, oddly enough, was a woman. Mary Ward. The news was published in King County Chronicle dated September 1, 1869 Victim He died after falling out of the car and being hit by a car. one of the heavy wheels of the car.

Child test dummy. Source: Karco Engineering, NHTSA (Wikipedia).

What do the statistics say?

maybe in first half of 20th century the cars were mostly driven by men. But in the second half there were many social change. To the point that if we look at the statistics, we find that men and women are equal in number driver’s license or license. And although there has been a slight decline in recent years, it equally affects both.

AT USAin 2020 there were 115.6 million. driver license compared to 112.6 million driver’s licenses. That is, there are more women than men. And in United Kingdom, in 2020, 188,557 men and 182,282 women passed the driving test. Very similar numbers. AT SpainThe DGT census says there are 15.52 million men with cards and 11.68 million women. We are very close again.

More real female mannequin

It happened to all of us. Different heights, different weights, and being a man or a woman have their consequences when we get into a car. distance between seats to the wheel, belt position safety, the location of airbags and side rails … Everything is ready for protect the driver and passengers In most cases. And in recent years, and in order to avoid pedestrian damage.

But when the tests are over, fool in the performance of official duties has specific measures. For test results to affect specific population. In Spain, the average man is 1.76 meters tall and weighs 84 kilograms. We said that fool Standard dimensions 1.75 and weight 78 kg. But as for women, the average Spaniard has a height of 1.62 and weighs 65.9 kg. Her equivalent female mannequin measures 1.50 and weighs 49 kilograms. Some key differences and what may have consequences.

Solution, the female mannequin is more consistent actual and actual means. Swedish engineers have developed a manikin to study the female anatomy. His height is 1.62 and his weight is about 62 kg.. It may not match some profiles, but it is more realistic than the previous standard.

Sweden has developed a female mannequin according to the royal standard
Test dummy (left). Dr. Astrid Linder (right) Credit: Swedish National Institute for Automotive and Transport Research / VTI

More diverse crash simulators

This particular female mannequin was designed in facilities bindingSwedish city that has a testing laboratory specializing in road accidents. Named Swedish National Institute of Roads and Transport (Swedish National Institute for Road and Transport Research) and under the direction of Dr. Astrid Linder.

Today tests are carried out using sensorscomputers and millions of data which are fixed in thousandths of a second and allow you to find out emergency conditions in parameters such as impact speed, crushing force, body bending and torsion, and deceleration speed. And of course they analyze mannequin biomechanics during collisions.

And the reason that this lab designed a female or female mannequin is because availability of statistics like the ones people drive in the US. According to these data, if a woman has been in a car accident, she has three times more likely to get whiplash when hit from behind than in men. While whiplash is not usually fatal, it can cause physical handicaps. Some of them are permanent.

Definitely. A mannequin of a female form according to modern standards will give more reliable results in many tests carried out around the world. And the fact is that different weight and height can lead to the installation of vehicles security measures that become dangerous for those who do not match the male or child mannequins they are used to working with.

Make it the standard of the future

The next step will be to use this female dummy or similar versions in various crash tests that are conducted around the world. And that’s what regulation of these tests in Europe and the US it does not indicate that the effects of accidents on women’s bodies should be analyzed. As explained in the article BBC What explains this story? United Nations is revising traffic testing regulations to include these types of changes. However, this takes time before being incorporated into the regulations of each affected country.

The good news is that insurers and manufacturers cars use emergency dummies different shapes and sizes to adapt to the reality around us. Babies, old people, fat bodies… And there is little point in modernizing the current mannequins with built-in sensors if the shapes, sizes and weights do not match the people who will be in these vehicles in the future.

Source: Hiper Textual

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