Crash test dummies

By Julie Sinclair

24th August 2007

	Surprisingly, female models have not been represented in the body’s tests since they started a decade ago.

Crash test dummies are fattening up to make car safety checks more realistic. It’s part of a raft of planned changes, which will also include smashing vehicles into one another.

Bosses at independent crash test body Euro NCAP claim rising obesity in the UK means current models – based on an average Fifties man – no longer reflect the size of typical male motorists. Secretary general Adrian Hobbs said: “It looks a bit under-fed by today’s standards!”

Euro NCAP’s rigorous checks are widely regarded as the car safety benchmark. But Hobbs admitted the dummies currently used – two males and two young children – were not realistic enough.

Surprisingly, female models have not been represented in the body’s tests since they started a decade ago. But Hobbs feels it’s vital they’re now included. “Small females tend to sit closer to the steering wheel, so there’s a concern about how this affects airbag deployment,” he said.

Frontal impact tests are also set to be overhauled. At present, this assessment involves crashing a car into a deformable barrier at 40mph.
But in future, there will be two head-on tests using another vehicle instead. That would allow testers to examine more life-like collisions between different-sized cars – such as when a supermini hits an SUV.

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