On shelves at a Humanetics facility in Huron, Ohio, skulls stare from their eyeless sockets, shiny and silver. Around a corner, a rack is filled with squishy, peach-toned arms, legs, torsos and butts.

A female crash-test dummy to replace an outdated model largely based on male proportions would improve safety for women, who face higher fatality and injury risks on the road, officials said. By Adeel ...