For a long time, car crash tests have used male dummies that are based on the average size of a man. However, in May 2023, Swedish doctor Astrid Linder received the Woman of Worth (WOW) award from the Car of the Year for Women for her groundbreaking work in designing and implementing the world’s first female crash test dummy. Dr. Linder firmly believes that women are at a higher risk in car accidents and are particularly vulnerable to neck injuries.
Dr. Linder, who teaches traffic safety at VTI, started working with crash test dummies in the 1990s. She came up with the idea of creating a female dummy after discovering that women face a higher risk of injury in car accidents compared to men.
The female dummy differs from the male dummy in several ways, including its shape, weight, and height. Notable differences include the width of the shoulders and the center of gravity of the torso, which is higher in men. While Volvo has conducted safety tests using dummies simulating pregnant women to assess how the fetus is protected, no study on female protection has been conducted before.
The project’s goal is to identify safety improvements that benefit the entire population, not just men. Dr. Linder’s work has been ongoing for over 20 years, with the lack of funding being the biggest challenge for her and her team. In 2012, Volvo, Chalmers, and European partners attempted to create a dummy simulating a typical woman but deemed it “too difficult and expensive”.
In addition, European crash test regulations (UN-ECE) require the use of an average man model for roadworthiness testing, making it challenging to introduce changes based on societal needs. Linder states, “As long as regulations dictate this requirement, change will be difficult to achieve”.
However, Dr. Linder revealed that her team has recently secured funding from the European Union for their completed project. The project involves developing mathematical and physical models of both a typical man and woman. By 2030, she hopes that safety programs will be able to assess the protection capabilities for both women and men in crash situations. “My vision is that together, we can improve safety.”
Therefore, there is hope that leading road safety companies, such as Volvo, which has pioneered safety systems with up to 16 ultrasonic sensors and 8 cameras for their cars, especially the EX90, will provide funding for this project.
Anh Quan (forum.autodaily.vn)
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