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New Crash Dummies Must Be Larger to Represent Society

Unfortunately, we like to over eat in this country and many people don't want to exercise. As a result, people are getting bigger and heavier and automotive safety researchers are scrambling to design new crash test dummies to represent our heavier American population.

At Cavallino Coachworks, we are always happy to share blogs about safety and technology, and this one combines both. Fewer accidents in Stockton, CA or anywhere else in the country is something I think all of us want, so that is why we strongly believe in dummy crash testing.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the standard American man weighs 195-198 pounds, a 21-lb. increase from four decades ago. The weight of the average American female has also gone up by approximately the same amount within the last 40 years.

Why are we sharing this information? Because based on news reports from several reputable sources, including ABC News, the crash test dummies currently being used to test car safety today are almost identical to the ones that were introduced in the 70s, which definitely poses some potentially serious problems for crash safety researchers and developers.

The dummies have not changed at all, but the overall population has, according to University of Michigan professor Stewart Wang . Wang is right and the others are wrong and that's why Wang is telling the world that we need to create bigger dummies. 

Most people Wang sees at emergency rooms and trauma centers after serious accidents are bigger than the norm and that's why he is concerned.  "What we're encountering are people who don't look like the perfect, standardized person," he said. "These are the more vulnerable people that are getting hurt at a higher rate and these are the same people we need to do tests based on their body size and weight."

New research about how certain body types will respond to car accidents of different severity soon. Dummy manufacturer Humanetics is currently designing a highly diverse set of crash dummies, including elderly and overweight dummies to better reflect the variety of American body types.

We're all getting older and heavier so crash dummies will need to evolve as we evolve as a race.  As our bodies change, we have to design and construct dummies that will mimic that evolution, so that carmakers can change with the times as well. A more accurate crash dummy can save lives and that's why it's so important to all of us on the highways and roads of the USA.

We strive to bring you relative content from Cavallino Coachworks in Stockton , CA .

Sources: ABC News. Humanetics and Wall Street Journal