Are women equally protected in the event of an accident? Not really! Safety equipment from car manufacturers is only tested with crash test dummies in the “male” version.
To improve women’s safety, a Swedish engineer decided to create the world’s first “female” version of these mannequins. This “anthropomorphic testing device” is called SET 50F, measures 1.62 m and weighs 62 kg, 15 cm and 15 kg less than the male models. It should help design car seats that better take into account women’s body shapes to better protect them.
“According to the minimum standard required for the sale of a car, it is established that in all tests the model of an average man must be used. This legislation excludes women,” explains Astrid Linder, engineer at the Swedish Safety Research Institute. in the transport. (VTI).
The consequences are serious. A 2019 US study found that women are 73% more likely than men to be injured in frontal collisions.
They are also twice as likely to suffer whiplash in the event of an accident. In question, the seat design was only tested with male models. Currently, this device is only used in Sweden. The VTI team hopes it will be adopted in other countries.
Source: BFM TV
