Today, around 10% of the population is obese in France. The health risks associated with this overweight are well known (diabetes, hypertension, joint problems …) but an American study highlights a new one: obese drivers are up to three times more likely to die in a road accident.
Women more at risk
The study, published inEmergency Medicine Journal, involved 6,806 drivers involved in 3,403 collisions. Two-thirds were men, and nearly one in three was between 16 and 24 years old. Of these, 18% were obese, 33% overweight and 46% were of healthy weight. One in three people was not wearing their seat belts correctly at the time of the accident due to their overweight. As a result, people with a BMI of 40 and over have an 80% greater risk of dying in a traffic accident than a person with a normal weight. Drivers with a BMI between 35 and 39.9 have 51% more risk and those with a BMI of 30 to 34.9, 21% risk. Women are also more affected than men.
For the record, l‘BMI, body mass index, is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilos) by their height (in meters) squared. You can use our calculator for a quick result.
From a BMI of 30 we talk about obesity and from 35 morbid obesity.
Misuse of the seat belt
One of the study’s authors, Dr. Tom Rice, of the University of California, Berkeley Research Center, explains: “It’s arguably true that passenger cars are well designed to protect heavy occupants. normal vehicles, but they are deficient in protecting overweight or obese occupants. Obese people need to be “educated” so that they can use seat belts better. It would also be good for doctors to inform them obese patients at additional risk of injury in traffic accidents. “
Crash tests have also shown that the bodies of obese people are propelled farther from their seats in an impact than those of people of normal weight. In fact, the additional fat in the belly prevents the seat belt from tightening the pelvis. Obese people also have health problems related to their weight problem which can decrease their vital prognosis in the event of an accident.
