Obese Drivers - With A Higher Risk Of Death In An Accident

Author: Marko Balašević Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Obese Drivers - With A Higher Risk Of Death In An Accident

Mortality rates for overweight drivers are higher than for normal weight drivers. Crash tests for obese people are needed.

Obese drivers are more likely to die in a car accident than normal-weight drivers, a study shows.

The doctors who conducted the research say that there is an urgent need for crash tests designed for overweight people.

A team of medical experts from the University of Buffalo and Erie County Medical Center found that mortality in moderately obese drivers was 21% higher, while in morbidly obese drivers, the risk of not surviving an accident increased by 56%.

However, people who are slightly overweight are more likely to survive such an accident than drivers with normal weight.

The researchers analyzed more than 150,000 car crashes in the United States between 2000 and 2005, involving one or two vehicles.

They grouped the leaders based on body mass index, a measurement standard that calculates whether you are in the healthy range. U.S. archives reveal that obesity significantly increases the risk of death in a serious accident.

The author of the study explains that the outcome of an accident depends on the interaction of many factors such as impact speed, seat belts, use of airbags, type and weight of the vehicle, as well as the type of impact.

However, the effect of body weight in accidents has not been assessed in the database.

Manikin tests are very valuable because they save lives, but they are designed to represent people of normal weight.

With the introduction of tests for overweight people, there could be further improvements in vehicle design.

Obese Drivers - With A Higher Risk Of Death In An Accident

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