No Dummies

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is inviting research labs and universities to apply for grants of up to $2.75 million to do automotive crash tests using “human surrogates” — human cadavers. The real bodies would presumably yield better data than crash test dummies and thus lead to better “mechanical analogs of the human body” — crash test dummies. Meanwhile, U.S. Transportation Department Secretary Rodney Slater has proposed that female crash test dummies be used in auto certifications. “Female” crash test dummies are already used in tests, but only larger, male-analogue models are used to certify a vehicle’s safety. (UPI, AP) ...It’s just like the government to propose employing dead people and robots even though there are plenty of live people looking for work.