Obese people get told all the time that they’re at risk of dying early from heart attacks, Type 2 diabetes and a host of other weight-related ilnesses.
Now some researchers at the University of Buffalo are saying that overweight people are statistically less likely to survive a severe car crash. The bigger you are, the bigger the chance that you'll die in a any given crash.
According to a Buffalo study of 155 000 fatal road accidents, if your body mass index is between 25 and 30, you run 21 percent more risk of being killed in the same accident than a “normal” person and if it's over 30, the risk goes up to 56 percent.
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Dr Dietrick Jehle, professor of emergency medicine at the university's medical school, said: “The severity and patterns of crash injuries depend on a complex interaction of biomechanical factors, including deceleration velocity at impact, seat belt and air bag use, vehicle type and weight, and type of impact.”
But he doesn't seem to think people are about to change their lifestyle; instead he lays the burden on automakers and road safety institutions.
Jehle says car designers will have to make allowance for bigger people when they specify car safety cells and crash tests will have to be done using a full range of dummy sizes.
And he reckons heavy people should be encouraged to buy bigger vehicles with more space between seat and steering wheel.