Car accidents can prove dangerous and deadly for anyone facing one. While some people walk away unscathed others may have to deal with life-altering injuries. According to some data, women are more prone to fall into the latter.
What is it about car accidents that make women more apt to face injuries and even death? Learn more about what puts women at risk for a higher rate of injuries in car crashes.
Are in-vehicle safety features effective?
Automakers utilize crash test dummies to test car safety features. Testers fit these crash-test dummies with sensors to test the forces crashes exert on the human body.
However, a recent CNN report indicated that the safety testers use male crash dummies as drivers and not female models. This may hinder vehicle safety developments for women when building out safety features. As such, safety restraints may not prove as effective on a female body.
Are women prone to specific injuries?
In car accidents, women are not only more at-risk for injuries, but they do possess more vulnerable body parts. Women usually sustain higher rates of hip and pelvis injuries attributed to the broader hip bones. Women often have to scoot their seats closer to the steering wheel to reach the pedals, making them more susceptible to pelvic crush injuries. No single type of collision is indicative of higher injuries in women.
Car manufacturers should continue to improve vehicle crash safety to ensure that all consumers, regardless of gender, have the same protections against bodily damage.
