WASHINGTON — For the first time ever, American car companies will soon be required to test vehicle safety using dummies that are representative of women.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday unveiled an advanced female crash test dummy — the THOR-05F — that could help close the staggering gap of higher injury rates for women than men in certain crash scenarios.

Maria Weston Kuhn experienced the statistical issue herself when she was in a car crash several years ago that caused life-altering injuries : Recent studies have shown women are 73% more likely to be seriously injured in a head-on car crash compared with men in the same crash. And female drivers and front-seat passengers are 17% more likely to be killed than their male counterparts in the same seats.

But it took

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