Save the Crash-test Dummies

July 15, 2019
This jaunt through the history of car safety engineering reveals that we have both human and mechanical crash-test dummies to thank for making driving much safer than it was a century ago, when cars first became ubiquitous. The now-familiar crash-test dummy has its origins in Sierra Sam, an anthropomorphic test device invented in 1949 to test aircraft ejection seats for the Air Force. In 1968, a new ATD was created to meet car companies' needs, designed to enable engineers to see how humans move during a crash. Before ATDs, engineers had to use live animals, human cadavers, and live human volunteers in safety tests. The Hybrid III used for the last 30 years is the type of crash-test dummy designed to survive a frontal impact crash. Hybrid III is full of electronics, including "accelerometers, potentiometers, and load cells," which convey information to engineers that aids them in designing safer cars. In addition to discussing such car safety developments as bumpers, brakes, seat belts, and air bags, Swanson fills her narrative with other fascinating nuggets of automotive history and explanations of how cars work, with helpful accompanying diagrams. She concludes with a look at autonomous cars. Grooms' illustrations add both touches of humor and visual clarity; they are complemented by archival images. Attractively designed and engagingly written--sure to appeal to readers with a taste for the scientific and technical. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

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Starred review from September 15, 2019
Grades 4-8 *Starred Review* No one would drive a car without brakes, mirrors, seat belts, airbags, or other safety features. In this innovative blend of history, technology, and engineering, Swanson shows how crash-test dummies (aka anthropomorphic test devices or ATDs) helped make these features standard and today's cars safer than ever, saving the lives of more than 330,000 people since 1960. After introducing readers to car basics and the crash-test dummy family, comprised of a male, a female, children of varying ages, and even Fido, individual chapters address each safety feature. In the chapter on bumpers, for instance, Swanson gives a historical overview of the development of the bumper, from an early cowcatcher design that would scoop up hit pedestrians to the crumple zone of modern cars. She also begins to show the evolution of car safety in this chapter, from the use of cadavers in early design testing to the data acquisition systems of today's ATDs. Successive chapters relate more technology and engineering initiatives, such as how a crash test works, why an airbag must both inflate and deflate, and why objects are closer than they appear in curved mirrors. Ironically, self-driving cars, covered in the final chapter, must use live humans to test them. Vintage photos and cartoon ATDs throughout add to the insightful fun. STEM at its best.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)