(AP) - The U.S. government announced major design changes it wants to implement to make the female version of the vehicle crash test dummy more lifelike, potentially replacing a model used for decades that is based almost entirely around the body of a man despite higher injury risks for women.

Department of Transportation officials will consider using the new dummy in the government’s vehicle crash test five-star ratings once a final rule is adopted, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday night in a news release.

Women are 73% more likely to be injured in a head-on crash, and they are 17% more likely to be killed in a car crash, than men.

FILE - A THOR-5F female crash test dummy is shown in a driver's seat at Humanetics in Farmington Hills, Mich., June 10, 2025. (Source: AP

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