Crash tests show higher injuries for small females

Government crash tests show that smaller female dummies register a greater degree of injury during crash tests.

Starting with 2011 model vehicles the federal government replaced an average size male dummy with a smaller female dummy for some of its tests.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has used female dummies in its testing since 2003. When a 2011 Toyota Sienna slammed into a barrier at 35 miles an hour the female dummy in the front passenger seat showed a 20 to 40 percent risk of death or serious injury.

If it had been a male dummy, the risk of injury was only about 15 percent.

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auto industry, 7 on your side, michael finney

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