Fat drivers are 80% more likely to die in a crash

AFRIK UPDATE



                                        
                    Extra weight stops seat belts tightening properly

                           



Obese drivers are more likely to die in car crashes than other motorists - with fat women most at risk, warn scientists.

Heavier people are up to 80 per cent more likely to die in an accident than drivers of a healthy weight, according to a new study. But the risk doubles for obese women, says research published in the Emergency Medicine Journal.

It found fat people are propelled further forward during a collision because their additional soft tissue prevents the seat belt tightening immediately against the bones of the pelvis.

Findings show those who were most obese, with a BMI of 40 and above, were 80 per cent more likely to die in an accident than drivers of a healthy weight.

Those who were severely obese (with a BMI of 35-39.9) were 51 per cent more likely to be killed in a crash, while the excess risk was 21 per cent for obese people with a BMI of 30-34.9.

Obese women were found to be at greater risk than men, with a BMI of 35 and over roughly doubling the risk of death compared with women of normal weight.

The biggest risk for men was a 75 per cent higher risk of death among the most obese, while underweight male drivers were also more likely to die in a collision than those of a healthy weight

The findings posed a dilemma about whether to improve safety features for the fattest, when this might cause problems for thinner drivers.

He said ‘We already advise smaller drivers to push their seat back further because of the air bag.

‘Obesity is a growing problem so we should be thinking about whether safety features are designed or adapted for those at the extreme’ he added.