Crash Test Dummies Evolving To Reflect Real Americans

A sad fact of life is that Americans are getting heavier. They’re also getting older. Therefore, in order to better simulate the impact of a car crash on real people, one company that makes crash test dummies has created two new dummies that weigh what is considered obese. That means adding an extra hundred pounds to a standard crash test dummy. Another is meant to replicate a 70-year-old obese woman.

The Michigan International Center for Automotive Medicine (ICAM) was involved in developing these new dummies. The director of ICAM says, “The typical patient today is overweight or obese — they’re the rule rather than the exception. You can’t talk about injuries without talking about the person.” He adds, “The population is getting older, and as it gets older it gets fatter as well.”

How does obesity impact the injuries that a person can sustain in a crash? For one thing, if they are involved in a frontal crash, they can slide underneath their seat belt, which can lead to more serious lower-extremity injuries than those suffered by people who aren’t obese.

Older people also suffer different injuries than younger people in car crashes. For example, they’re more likely to suffer chest injuries (by as much as 15 times those suffered by younger drivers and passengers.) That’s because the shape of the chest changes as people age.

As people stay healthier into their senior and elderly years and are able to continue driving, it’s essential that auto manufacturers and companies that work to ensure auto safety adjusts to the changing demographics of Americans. However, there are no guarantees that you can avoid injuries in a car crash. If you or a loved one has been injured by a reckless or negligent driver, it’s essential to determine that in order to seek compensation.