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NHTSA Introduces Female-Specific Crash-Test Dummy to Boost Road Safety

  //automotive-transportation.news-articles.net/co .. cific-crash-test-dummy-to-boost-road-safety.html
  Published in Automotive and Transportation on Monday, December 1st 2025 at 7:07 GMT by Detroit Free Press

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A New Crash‑Test Dummy Gives Women Better Protection on the Road

The Detroit Free Press reports that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is finally introducing a dedicated crash‑test dummy that looks and behaves like an average female driver. The change comes after years of criticism that the one‑size‑fits‑all dummies used in vehicle safety testing had been engineered largely from male anthropometry, causing a systematic under‑estimation of injury risks for women. The new dummy—known as the “Female Anthropometric Test Vehicle Dummy” (FTV‑D) or “S‑FR” in NHTSA parlance—will be used in upcoming safety tests and could reshape how automakers design crumple zones, airbags, and seatbelt systems.

Why the Old Dummy Was Flawed

Until now, automotive crash‑test dummies have been based on a 50th‑percentile male, roughly 5‑ft‑9‑in tall and weighing 165 lbs. Because women typically have a shorter height, lighter weight, a narrower pelvis, and a higher center of gravity, the 50th‑percentile male dummy can misrepresent the kinematics of a female passenger in a collision. That discrepancy was highlighted by studies that showed women’s injuries are often more severe in frontal and side impacts, especially when airbag deployment timing and seat‑belt load distribution were not optimized for a lighter, narrower body.

A 2023 NHTSA report found that women sustained more severe thoracic injuries and were more likely to experience whiplash than men in similar crash conditions. The report called for a more representative dummy that could provide data that genuinely reflects real‑world female crash risk.

How the New Dummy Was Built

The FTV‑D was created through a collaboration between NHTSA, the National Institute for Automotive Safety (NIAS), and the American Association of Crash Test Engineers (AACTE). The design process incorporated:

• CT Scan Data – Thousands of anonymized female body scans were analyzed to derive realistic dimensions for the skull, torso, pelvis, and limbs.
• Anthropometric Charts – Data from the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) and the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) were used to set baseline height, weight, and girth ranges.
• Kinematic Validation – The dummy’s neck and spine were calibrated to reflect the lower strength of female cervical vertebrae, which are more prone to fracture in rear‑impact scenarios.

The result is a 1.5‑ft‑long head, a 3‑inch longer neck, a pelvis that is narrower and a bit shorter, and a body that weighs 140 lbs instead of 165. The dummy’s internal sensors are also tuned to produce data that more closely matches female injury thresholds, including higher sensitivity to chest compression and spinal loading.

How the Dummy Will Be Used

The FTV‑D will become part of NHTSA’s “Women‑Focused” safety testing protocols, which are slated to roll out in the next two years. It will be deployed in:

• Frontal Impact Tests – to evaluate the effectiveness of airbags and frontal crumple zones under female loading.
• Side‑Impact Tests – to examine side‑airbag deployment timing and the load on the female pelvis and rib cage.
• Rear‑Impact Tests – to assess the likelihood of whiplash and spinal injuries that are more common in women.

Automakers will be required to report the dummy’s performance on each crash test. The data will be incorporated into the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Crashworthiness Index” and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) “Top‑Safety” ratings.

What the New Dummy Means for Women

The introduction of a realistic female dummy promises several benefits:

1. More Accurate Injury Predictions – Engineers can now fine‑tune seatbelt tensioners and airbag inflators so that the forces on a woman’s body are more realistic, potentially reducing the incidence of spinal injuries and chest trauma.
2. Better Regulatory Compliance – Manufacturers will need to design vehicles that meet both male and female safety standards, encouraging a more inclusive approach to vehicle design.
3. Public Awareness – As the new dummy data becomes public, consumers can make more informed choices about which cars offer the best protection for women.

NHTSA’s spokesperson, Dr. Elena K. Patel, said the agency expects “a measurable improvement in safety ratings for women in the next few years, especially for vehicles that adopt early changes based on the FTV‑D data.”

The Road Ahead

The article notes that the FTV‑D’s development was only the first step. There is still a need for diverse crash‑test models that account for different body types, ages, and seating positions. NHTSA is already exploring a “3‑D female” dummy with dynamic sensor arrays that can better simulate the biomechanics of a real human body in a crash.

The Detroit Free Press links to the full NHTSA press release and the scientific paper published in Accident Analysis & Prevention detailing the dummy’s calibration. Those documents provide a deeper dive into the statistical analyses that guided the dummy’s design and the projected impact on injury risk.

Conclusion

The new crash‑test dummy represents a pivotal moment in automotive safety. By recognizing that a one‑size‑fits‑all approach is inadequate, NHTSA is steering the industry toward a more equitable standard that protects everyone behind the wheel. For the first time, the data used to certify cars will more faithfully reflect the realities of a woman’s body, potentially saving lives and reducing injuries on the road.