Study: Obese drivers more likely to die in crashes

[Redfairen]

Source: USA Today

Obese drivers are more likely to die in collisions than people of normal weight, a new study has found.

The risk of death increased the more obese the driver was, according to the study released online Monday in the BMJ Group's Emergency Medicine Journal.

The study's authors pointed to previous research that showed that an obese driver's lower body is propelled farther upon impact before a seat belt engages the pelvis. The driver's additional tissue prevents the belt from fitting snugly, but the upper body is held back.

The authors suggest that while obese people may have underlying health problems, vehicle design may need to change to provide better protection.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/21/obese-drivers-death-risk/1846475/

[DollarBillHines]

1. Insurance rates should factor BMI

This pisses me off, slightly.

[Egalitarian Thug]

2. Breaking!: Physics is real! n/t

[lunasun]

3. +1

[Fumesucker]

4. Shouldn't that be "Braking"?

[cthulu2016]

6. very nice!

[Egalitarian Thug]

8. LMAO! Thanks. n/t

[cbrer]

11. Word. nt

[kestrel91316]

5. No!! Really?? And their solution is to redesign cars for fat people????

Our priorities are completely FUBAR.

[kentauros]

7. Of course, the real solution to all of our traffic safety problems

is to design the cars to drive us, instead of what we have now. The iProduct generations would love that, and let the rest of us that know how to be attentive never have to worry about their lack of driving skills.

And it would solve the vehicle-safety problems for those of us of a less than ideal weight

[McCamy Taylor]

9. Obesity is linked to sleep apnea. Are we sure the accidents weren't worse?

I.e. no effort to apply the brakes before rear ending the car ahead, no attempt to get a car veering off the road back in its lane.

A study like this just reminds us that association is not causality.

[thesquanderer]

10. or just slower reflexes? or even...

maybe they're more likely to be eating something while driving?

[Still Blue in PDX]

15. This is anecdotal, but as a fat person I would NEVER eat in my car and risk

being seen (gasp!) eating in public while fat.

[cstanleytech]

14. Well the article clearly said

"The study's authors pointed to previous research that showed that an obese driver's lower body is propelled farther upon impact before a seat belt engages the pelvis. The driver's additional tissue prevents the belt from fitting snugly, but the upper body is held back."
So no, I think this is an area where science is showing something and it will take something based on science to disprove it.

[mainer]

16. I've read the same about airline crashes

Men are more likely to die than women and children in an airplane crash, because of body mass.