Real Cadavers Used as Crash Test Dummies
Wed, May 14, 2008
Image by Flickr user Scribbling of Night
Crash test dummies are an almost ubiquitous part of the films that various consumer safety institutes like to show us in order to briefly inspire panic and safe driving before we all remember that “The Fast and The Furious” was so much cooler than “Driving Miss Daisy.”
Part of the discussion that is often overlooked however, is how to make those hyper-accurate dummies: they’re complex enough to represent humans in a car crash and gather data on our injuries and survival. How did that happen? If you’re GM, second-largest manufacturer in the world, it’s with dead bodies
GM is for obvious reasons, being rather tight-lipped on the issue. The Swedish government, which oversaw the experiment, would only say that the bodies were essential to “certain things” and that the cadavers had been donated to science by the deceased. The project length was unknown. However, a multiyear effort involving at least ten corpses crashed in GM automobiles was carried out. GM is reportedly making all of the data they gather available to all of their brands and partners. Unsurprisingly, they also declined to comment.
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May 15th, 2008 at 1:07 am
They’re dead, who cares?
May 15th, 2008 at 3:36 am
While it may be distasteful to some, I’m glad such tests are done. When I’m dead, I only hope my corpse can be used for something half as useful.
May 15th, 2008 at 4:27 am
This has been going on for years and is done by ALL the majors - it is done to validate the dummy tests… No news here, move along.
May 15th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Yeah, I was surprised not by the reports, but that anyone found this noteworthy. I recall from the wonderful book “Stiff” by Mary Roach that she had a whole chapter about the use of cadavers in crash simulations. Frankly, I expect that some testing is done with an actual body. I’m just glad they use the dead.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Good, using a real cadaver is the best way to do it.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
as long as the family is okay with it, then it seems the most comprehensive way to get real crash data. carry on.
of course there will be protests by some uptight Christian organizations (I’m a Christian by the way) who will see this as some form of desecration the dead. meh.