Davis Law Group, P.S.

Crash Test Dummies: Not So Dumb - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety owns a lot of crash test dummies.  The institute spends about $1.5 million each year testing the safety of new cars. It is the readouts from the dummy's sensors that tells researchers more about the force and impact of car accidents and helps them to create safety recommendations for automobile makers.   

And now days automakers are now looking at technology that helps drivers avoid crashes altogether.  This includes computer systems that that help prevent skidding and rollovers; cameras and radar that see objects drivers might hit; and navigational systems. The evolving technologies may never completely eliminate auto accidents but they will make driving a lot safer. 

Thus far institute's research and recommendations have helped bring the annual highway deaths in the United States down to around 37,000 last year — the fewest since 1961.