CHANCES OF SURVIVING AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT MAY BE INCREASED BY OBESITY
According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), overweight men have a better chance of surviving an automobile crash, but only if they are wearing a safety belt. In a recent study performed at the UMTRI, it was determined that obese male drivers wearing a safety belt have a 22% lower probability of being killed if involved in a fatal crash than underweight male drivers wearing a safety belt. Obese males were categorized as those having a body mass index between 35 and 50, compared to underweight males having a body mass index between 15 and 18.4. The opposite was found to be true for unbelted male drivers, where the probability of being killed is 10% higher for obese males. The results were different for female drivers. The conclusion reached is that the findings suggest that the designs of airbags, safety belts and other components of occupant-restraint systems may need to be improved to better protect drivers and their passengers of different sizes.
