As Overweight Drivers Become Norm, Not Exception, Crash Test Dummies Are Adjusted
The size and shape of a driver effect how he or she will be injured in a car crash. In frontal crashes, for instance, obese drivers tend to “submarine,” or slide under the lap belt.
Sacramento Bee:
Crash Test Dummies Get Bigger To Reflect American Body Types
In an effort to more accurately reflect the U.S. car-driving population, at least one manufacturer is making crash-test dummies – the pretend people used to test automobile safety features – bigger and older. “The typical patient today is overweight or obese – they’re the rule rather than the exception,” said Dr. Stewart Wang, director of the University of Michigan International Center for Automotive Medicine, in a statement. “You can’t talk about injuries without talking about the person.” The new crash-test models include a 273-pound dummy, more than 100 pounds heavier than normal, as well as a prototype based on an overweight 70-year-old woman. (Buck, 2/6)