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SEAT BELTS | Heavy drivers run a risk
February 10, 2008
BY KRISTIN M. HALL
When he went car shopping recently, Paul McAleer focused on comfort -- adjustable seats, a tilt steering wheel and extra height.
But McAleer, a self-described "fat guy," also kept an eye out for an even more important factor: Could he fit in the seat belt?
A new study finds that, as body size increases, seat belt use declines. But even when bigger drivers want to use a seat belt, sometimes they can't because not all carmakers offer bigger belts or extenders.
"It would be in their best interest to make seat belts longer in the first place," says McAleer, a Web site designer from Chicago.
Federal standards, dating back four decades, specify the length of auto seat belts. But they require only that seat belts accommodate a 215-pound man.
Some automakers offer bigger belts or extenders, but others worry about how well they work -- and the potential legal liability if they don't.
Belt compliance falls
Vanderbilt University psychologist David Schlundt noticed that very heavy people sometimes struggled to fit behind them.
"They have to stretch it out and then over, and then some can't see the buckle," says Schlundt.
So he and his colleagues at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., decided to study the relationship between seat belt use and weight.
They reviewed nearly 250,000 responses about seat belt use from a national telephone health survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Based on that 2002 data, they found that seat belt use went down as body mass index -- a calculation based on height and weight -- went up.
Only about 70 percent of extremely obese individuals reported always using a seat belt. Nearly 83 percent of normal-weight people always used their belts. More than half of those killed in car accidents weren't wearing seat belts, according to the latest federal figures. The study findings were published in the journal Obesity.
McAleer -- who runs a Web site called Big Fat Blog -- said he worries the study will focus criticism on the obese instead of the design of seat belts.
Extenders offered
When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considered changing its seat belt rules in 2003, it estimated that more than 38 million people -- 19 percent of the total U.S. population -- were larger than the seat belt requirements.
But the federal agency ultimately decided against revising the standards since most big car makers -- including Honda, Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Chrysler -- have seat belts that are longer than required.
Each of those companies provides an average of 18 to 20 inches of extra belt length -- more than enough to accommodate the biggest percentage of drivers. Many of those manufacturers also have seat belt extensions or longer belts that can be purchased or installed at dealerships. Ford offers its extensions for free.
Several foreign brands, such as Honda, BMW, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, do not provide seat belt extenders. Ford's Volvo division requires buyers to sign a waiver stating they've read a list of warnings and rules for using extenders.
AP
SEAT BELTS | Heavy drivers run a risk
February 10, 2008
BY KRISTIN M. HALL
When he went car shopping recently, Paul McAleer focused on comfort -- adjustable seats, a tilt steering wheel and extra height.
But McAleer, a self-described "fat guy," also kept an eye out for an even more important factor: Could he fit in the seat belt?
A new study finds that, as body size increases, seat belt use declines. But even when bigger drivers want to use a seat belt, sometimes they can't because not all carmakers offer bigger belts or extenders.
"It would be in their best interest to make seat belts longer in the first place," says McAleer, a Web site designer from Chicago.
Federal standards, dating back four decades, specify the length of auto seat belts. But they require only that seat belts accommodate a 215-pound man.
Some automakers offer bigger belts or extenders, but others worry about how well they work -- and the potential legal liability if they don't.
Belt compliance falls
Vanderbilt University psychologist David Schlundt noticed that very heavy people sometimes struggled to fit behind them.
"They have to stretch it out and then over, and then some can't see the buckle," says Schlundt.
So he and his colleagues at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., decided to study the relationship between seat belt use and weight.
They reviewed nearly 250,000 responses about seat belt use from a national telephone health survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Based on that 2002 data, they found that seat belt use went down as body mass index -- a calculation based on height and weight -- went up.
Only about 70 percent of extremely obese individuals reported always using a seat belt. Nearly 83 percent of normal-weight people always used their belts. More than half of those killed in car accidents weren't wearing seat belts, according to the latest federal figures. The study findings were published in the journal Obesity.
McAleer -- who runs a Web site called Big Fat Blog -- said he worries the study will focus criticism on the obese instead of the design of seat belts.
Extenders offered
When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considered changing its seat belt rules in 2003, it estimated that more than 38 million people -- 19 percent of the total U.S. population -- were larger than the seat belt requirements.
But the federal agency ultimately decided against revising the standards since most big car makers -- including Honda, Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Chrysler -- have seat belts that are longer than required.
Each of those companies provides an average of 18 to 20 inches of extra belt length -- more than enough to accommodate the biggest percentage of drivers. Many of those manufacturers also have seat belt extensions or longer belts that can be purchased or installed at dealerships. Ford offers its extensions for free.
Several foreign brands, such as Honda, BMW, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, do not provide seat belt extenders. Ford's Volvo division requires buyers to sign a waiver stating they've read a list of warnings and rules for using extenders.
AP
