Female passengers aren’t always offered the same level of crash protection as males – unless they’re in a Volvo, that is. The Swedish manufacturer has just published a study based on real-world crash data that highlights how all body types are offered identical levels of crash protection in its cars, something that previous research has shown isn’t a given.
Inequalities when it comes to in-car safety have been well documented over the years; for example, a 2024 study by the UK Transport Research Laboratory found that female occupants are “significantly” more likely to be injured in a car accident than their male equivalents – particularly in side-impact scenarios. This is backed up by data analysed by the University of Virginia Centre for Applied Biomechanics, which found that females are 47 per cent more likely to be seriously injured in an accident and 17 per cent more likely to be killed.
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