Woman at the wheel, life at a turning point. In Sweden, an engineer creates the first female crash test dummy

It’s called EVA or SET 50F, and it’s designed to finally keep women safe behind the wheel. Developed by Astrid Linder at the Swedish Transport Safety Research Institute (VTI), this new female crash test has been in the testing phase since the end of 2022 and represents real progress for gender equality in road safety. Indeed, safety tests have so far been carried out on normal male figures, according to automotive legislation since the 1970s, not intended for female body types in any way.

This unique prototype is currently being tested at a warehouse in Linköping, southwest of Stockholm. Made of rubber, metals and plastics, it is equipped with 24 sensors and fits the body structure of an average woman at 1.62m and 62kg, or 15cm and 15kg less than the average male model. Another difference is that her shoulders and hips are narrower. “The distribution of mass is different in the bust, which leads to a lower center of gravity in women than in men,” continued Astrid Linder, reported AFP.

Women more exposed

Although crash tests have always been conducted on male models, statistics show that women, who make up 49% of drivers today, are at greater risk in an accident. According to a 2019 study from the University of Virginia in the US, they are 73% more likely than men to be injured in a head-on collision and twice as likely to suffer injuries. cervical sprains accident, particularly due to the morphology of their neck and the support offered by the seat.

“A woman’s neck muscles are usually weaker, so if you compare it to a man’s crash test dummy, here you’ll see that the neck is more flexible, that there’s more movement if you’re driving the exact same test, at the same speed and speed. the same acceleration, notes engineer Tommy Peterson for AFP. The goal is to make better seats possible for men and women. That’s why we created male and female.”

“For non-fatal injuries that can be a source of disability, statistics show that the difference between men and women is always the determining factor,” said Astrid Linder. As a result suffering can last a lifetime, it is important to confirm how everyone is protected.”

Used by Volvo

Developed with subsidies from the European Commission, Eva is already used by some manufacturers such as Volvo in Sweden, but nothing in international regulations requires it. A proposal will be submitted to the European Commission for a project to develop seat assessment tools as part of a larger project dealing with the long-term effects of car crash injuries.