Models, Testing and Public Affairs: The Case for Crash Test Dummies
Faculty Mentor Name
Hadi Ali
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
Crash test dummies, formally known as ATDs, are tools used to evaluate and establish human injury risk. This is done under controlled collision scenarios and experimental testing. Since the 1970s, these devices have become more developed and standardized across most industries, such as aerospace, aviation, and automotive. Over these more than 55 years, the dummies have been used to create regulatory and safety standards, establish safety ratings on a scale, and track and store data in open-source databases such as NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Automotive manufacturers gain insight into the simulated behavior of the human body in their designs during crashes under regulated conditions. They are, therefore, required to meet certain standards as regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a federal agency that oversees the safety of motor vehicles. The regulations are thoroughly detailed, prescribing and documenting fine specifications on topics ranging from seatbelt position and bumper standards to material use, and even taking into account fuel economy and theft protection requirements. The process, while it may seem well laid out to the customer’s eye, is actually quite extensive.
Despite this extensive process and safety requirements, there is an inherent flaw in the system; the flaw being that it is extremely hard to get any safety standards updated or changed, including components such as outdated dummies. This is a primary concern because the Hybrid III has been the same crash-testing dummy in use since 1976. Not only have the dummies not been updated, but the widely used Hybrid III 5th percentile female dummy is a scaled-down male model that does not accurately represent the size, strength, or biomechanics of today’s female population.
Studies have shown that the probability for a female occupant to be injured in a frontal crash is 73% greater than that for a male occupant. The discrepancy between injury data shows females to have an inherently higher risk than males, and the lack of new technology moving forward to solve this problem becomes quite a prominent issue for women’s safety. It makes one wonder what may need to be updated across the board for all crash-testing standards, not just the female dummy.
Models, Testing and Public Affairs: The Case for Crash Test Dummies
Crash test dummies, formally known as ATDs, are tools used to evaluate and establish human injury risk. This is done under controlled collision scenarios and experimental testing. Since the 1970s, these devices have become more developed and standardized across most industries, such as aerospace, aviation, and automotive. Over these more than 55 years, the dummies have been used to create regulatory and safety standards, establish safety ratings on a scale, and track and store data in open-source databases such as NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Automotive manufacturers gain insight into the simulated behavior of the human body in their designs during crashes under regulated conditions. They are, therefore, required to meet certain standards as regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a federal agency that oversees the safety of motor vehicles. The regulations are thoroughly detailed, prescribing and documenting fine specifications on topics ranging from seatbelt position and bumper standards to material use, and even taking into account fuel economy and theft protection requirements. The process, while it may seem well laid out to the customer’s eye, is actually quite extensive.
Despite this extensive process and safety requirements, there is an inherent flaw in the system; the flaw being that it is extremely hard to get any safety standards updated or changed, including components such as outdated dummies. This is a primary concern because the Hybrid III has been the same crash-testing dummy in use since 1976. Not only have the dummies not been updated, but the widely used Hybrid III 5th percentile female dummy is a scaled-down male model that does not accurately represent the size, strength, or biomechanics of today’s female population.
Studies have shown that the probability for a female occupant to be injured in a frontal crash is 73% greater than that for a male occupant. The discrepancy between injury data shows females to have an inherently higher risk than males, and the lack of new technology moving forward to solve this problem becomes quite a prominent issue for women’s safety. It makes one wonder what may need to be updated across the board for all crash-testing standards, not just the female dummy.