July 16, 2025 | Car Accidents
Vehicle safety relies heavily on biomechanics and crash test dummies. These tools help engineers design vehicles that protect occupants during accidents. Understanding their role reveals how modern vehicles reduce the incidence of personal injuries and save lives.
What is a Crash Test Dummy?
Crash test dummies don’t live up to their name. While they’re technically dummies, modern versions are packed full of advanced technologies that provide researchers with valuable data. These testing tools simulate human responses in vehicle collisions.
Researchers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other organizations use crash test dummies to evaluate the effectiveness of:
- Seat belts
- Airbags
- Crumple zones (also called crush zones)
- Other automobile design features
As part of this process, researchers test different types of vehicles and collisions. They may also use vehicles of varying sizes, including semi trucks, to simulate commercial truck crashes. This data helps scientists develop better safety features and higher-quality vehicles.
Do Researchers Use Standardized Crash Test Dummies?
The NHTSA has its own family of crash test dummies to simulate people of varying sizes and weights, including:
- 50th percentile adult male
- 50th percentile adult male (hybrid)
- 5th percentile adult female
- Small adult female
- 10-year-old child
- Six-year-old child
- Six-year-old weighted child
- Three-year-old child
- 12-month-old infant
- Newborn infant
These dummies vary in height, weight, and overall size. The heaviest is 171 lbs and 5’9” tall. The infant model weighs just 7.6 lbs. When using these dummies, researchers place them in numerous positions and use various safety devices.
Biomechanics and Vehicle Safety
One area of biomechanics focuses on how the human body moves and responds to various forces. This science informs vehicle safety features and helps researchers reduce the risk of injuries in accident scenarios.
Here’s a rough breakdown of how it works:
- Researchers simulate various types of crashes.
- They use biomechanics to identify how the impact causes injuries.
- Engineers use the data to create crumple zones and reinforce cabins.
Once enough research has been conducted, auto manufacturers will apply the data to improve vehicle design and reduce the rate and severity of injuries. The NHTSA and other regulatory entities use their findings to support policy changes and enforce new regulations.
How Crash Test Dummy Technology Has Evolved
Early crash test dummies were little more than weighted mannequins. Today, they include sophisticated sensors to measure acceleration, force, and deflection. Newer models can even replicate human joint flexibility to predict when injuries would occur during a crash. These advancements have led to huge improvements in vehicle safety.
Impact of Biomechanics and Crash Test Dummies on Vehicle Design
The ultimate goal of crash test dummies is to influence vehicle design. Manufacturers use the information gathered during these tests and knowledge of biomechanics to create better airbags, seat belts, and crumple zones.
These changes have had a positive impact on vehicle safety over time. However, there’s still plenty of work to be done, as safety improvements need to keep pace with other vehicle advancements.
What Crash Test Dummies and Biomechanics Mean for You
Advancements in crash test dummies and biomechanics are good for everyone. The NHTSA and other organizations use them to evaluate how different types of impact during car accidents can harm the human body. They analyze the results of these tests and apply what they learn to make safer vehicles.
These improvements mean that modern vehicles are continually becoming safer and better at protecting people from injuries during an accident.
Contact Our Port. St. Lucie Car Accident Lawyers at Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group for Help After a Wreck
If you’ve been injured in an accident, please contact our experienced car accident lawyers at Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group to schedule a free consultation today. We have three convenient locations in Florida, including Vero Beach, St. Petersburg, and Port St. Lucie.
Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group – Vero Beach
2651 20th St
Vero Beach, FL 32960
(772) 758-1966
Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group – St. Petersburg
200 Central Ave Suite 304
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(772) 569-8155
Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group – Port St. Lucie
10805 SW Tradition Square Unit 024A
Port St. Lucie, FL 34987
(772) 677-0373
