WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently unveiled the design details for the THOR-05F, a first-of-its-kind advanced female dummy for use in frontal crash testing. This new crash test dummy, equipped with over 150 sensors, represents a fundamental step toward addressing a long-standing safety disparity where women are at higher risk of injury in frontal crashes than men.
“Consumer Reports commends the NHTSA researchers who worked diligently to improve the design of this advanced dummy so that it will help save lives and reduce injuries on our roads,” said Emily A. Thomas, Ph.D., associate director of auto safety for Consumer Reports. “Releasing these design details represents progress toward greater representation in crash testing. There are still several critical steps that NHTSA needs to take for this dummy to be fully integrated into federal crash testing programs, and we urge DOT leaders to keep this moving forward with full support from the administration.”
According to NHTSA, the THOR-05F’s shape and response in a crash are modeled after the fifth percentile adult female body, which will enable better assessment of injury risk for small female occupants. With its array of sensors, this advanced dummy helps reveal how seatbelts, air bags and vehicle structures perform with female bodies, and will inform safer vehicle designs and regulations. Release of the THOR-05F’s specifications will enable dummy manufacturers to build models, and the automotive industry to begin testing them in their vehicles.
While its design is now available, the dummy is not yet required or used in federal crash testing programs. Consumer Reports is calling on the agency to formally integrate the THOR-05F dummy into its compliance testing under federal motor vehicle safety standards as well as its 5-star safety ratings—and more than 23,000 people have signed a related CR petition to NHTSA.
“As we celebrate this milestone and applaud the broad range of advocates who worked for years to get to this point, we also recognize that it’s important to look at crash safety holistically,” said William Wallace, director of safety advocacy for Consumer Reports. “Women need to be better represented in federal crash testing—and so do older Americans, children, and others who currently might be more vulnerable to injury in a crash. Even as crash avoidance features and autonomous vehicles improve, it will still be essential for NHTSA to ensure that you and your family members are as protected as possible when a collision does happen.”
Research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) underscores that improved safety for women requires more than just a new dummy; it requires addressing vehicle design and crash dynamics that disproportionately affect smaller occupants.
Consumer Reports will continue to advocate for the swift adoption of the THOR-05F and broader safety measures to protect all road users.
***
Media Contact: Emily Akpan, emily.akpan@consumer.org