People who are too fat can easily die in car accidents

Not only may obesity hinder driving, it may also make it easier to die in traffic accidents. Researchers at the Medical School of Wisconsin in the United States reported in the American Journal of Public Health that a study found that obese men had a significantly higher mortality rate in car accidents, while thin drivers were equally vulnerable to accidents due to their lack of fat.

The research team collected data on 22,000 people from the government Department of Transportation's crash database and found that the crash death rate for male drivers was 0.87%, compared with 0.43%. Male drivers with a BMI higher than 35 or lower than 22 have a significantly higher risk of death than men with a BMI in the middle. Body mass index = kilogram of body weight ÷ square of height meter

Researchers said that male drivers with a high body mass index are more likely to die in accidents because obese people have greater momentum while driving, and obesity may also hinder rescue operations. As for drivers with low body mass index, they are also more likely to die in traffic accidents because they lack fat as a buffer and absorb impact energy. However, slightly fatter men can benefit from body fat as a buffer and absorb some of the impact. For women, there was no significant relationship between body mass index and crash fatality rates. Researchers pointed out that the differences between the sexes may be related to their body shapes. (Internship Editor: Jiang Yan)