While men are more likely to be severely or fatally injured in vehicle crashes because they engage in risky driving behavior — they are less likely to wear seatbelts and more likely to drive drunk — the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concluded that in crashes of equal severity, women are more likely than men to be killed or injured.
Now, for the first time, the U.S. Department of Transportation is using female crash test dummies in their vehicle safety ratings.
Yes. Until this point, differences between men and women in size, shape, and anatomy were not taken into account during these evaluations. Makes you feel better about getting behind the wheel, eh? But don’t get ahead of yourself. They are only testing the female crash test dummies in the passenger seat.
Hey, at least women are being represented, right? Women like us are finally being considered! Well, that’s true for any of you who are 4’8” tall and weigh 108 pounds. With the average American woman being about 5’4” and 150 pounds, these new crash test dummies hardly represent the majority of American women. While I applaud any effort to improve the safety of vehicles, it is unrealistic to think that women will only be in the passenger seat and will weigh only 108 pounds.
Female firsts are often just a way for us to get our foot in the door — and improve things from there. I hope that this dummy stands her ground enough to improve vehicle safety for women of all shapes and sizes.
