What is a Crash Test Dummy?
A crash test dummy is a full scale replica of a human being which is designed to behave as much as possible like a human body in a crash situation. Although most people think of automobile safety when they hear the words “crash test dummy,” these valuable tools are also used in aircraft and other vehicles to determine how safe they are. Crash test dummies can experience broken limbs, snapped necks, severed arteries, and a range of other traumas which a real person might experience in a crash; the only thing dummies cannot do is drive a car.
A crash test dummy is a full scale replica of a human being which is designed to behave as much as possible like a human body in a crash situation. Although most people think of automobile safety when they hear the words “crash test dummy,” these valuable tools are also used in aircraft and other vehicles to determine how safe they are. Crash test dummies can experience broken limbs, snapped necks, severed arteries, and a range of other traumas which a real person might experience in a crash; the only thing dummies cannot do is drive a car. Almost as soon as the car was invented, it started maiming people. Car manufacturers quickly realized that they needed to implement safety features, and that they needed to test their vehicles, to find out how to make them safer to drive. Manufacturers of other forms of motorized transport such as aircraft and boats also quickly realized the value of crash testing, but researchers faced the issue of how to test safety features. Obviously, releasing
