Obese drivers less likely to use seat belts
But some carmakers offer no options for the obese to buckle up
The Associated Press
updated 12:21 p.m. MT, Fri., Feb. 8, 2008

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Like a lot of consumers, Paul McAleer focused on comfort when he recently went car shopping. Adjustable seats, a tilt steering wheel and extra height were all important.

Because he's a self-described "fat guy," the Web site designer also has to check to see if he can fit in the seat belt.

While McAleer buckles up when he drives, a new study found that seat belt use declines as body size increases. But even large drivers who want to use a seat belt may be thwarted 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, who lives in Chicago.

Federal standards that specify the length of auto seat belts date back four decades and only require that seat belts accommodate a 215-pound man. Some manufacturers offer bigger belts or extenders anyway, but other auto companies have concerns about effectiveness and liability.

Vanderbilt University psychologist David Schlundt studied the relationship between seat belt use and weight after noticing that obese people sometimes struggled to fit into the auto restraints.

"They really have a hard time getting that belt buckle over them," Schlundt said. "They have to stretch it out and then over and then some can't see the buckle."

Schlundt and his colleagues at Meharry Medical College in Nashville 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, the study found that seat belt use declined as body mass index — a calculation based on height and weight — increased.

Only about 70 percent of extremely obese individuals reported always using a seat belt, while nearly 83 percent of normal-weight people always used their belts, the study found. More than half of those killed in auto accidents weren't wearing seat belts, according to the latest federal figures. The study's findings were published in the journal Obesity.

"I hate seat belts because they always seem to ride up and strangle me," said Peggy Howell, the public relations director for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. "But I wear them for my own safety and because it is the law."

Howell said people sometimes contact her Oakland, Calif.-based advocacy group to get information on extensions.

McAleer, who runs a Web site called Big Fat Blog, said he's worried the study will focus criticism on the obese instead of the design of seat belts. His new car has seat belts long enough for him, but he said his wife has a harder time buckling up.

Many factors affect seat belt use, including sex, age and state laws, but Schlundt said the connection between increased weight and decreased use was consistent when those things were taken into account.

Government regulations for auto manufacturers don't use BMI to determine dimensions for seat belts. The standard instead says belts must fit up to a 215-pound man who has a seated hip circumference of 47 inches. That was set in the 1960s.

When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considered changing the rules in 2003, it estimated that more than 38 million people, or 19 percent of the total U.S. population, were larger than the seat belt requirements.

The NHTSA decided not to revise its standards since most top manufacturers including Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC, Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. have seat belts that are longer than required.

The companies each provide an average of 18-20 inches of extra belt length, more than enough to accommodate the largest 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 their extensions for free, said Wes Sherwood, a Ford spokesman.

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, said Daniel Johnston, a Volvo spokesman.

Extensions have to be used carefully because they can be hazardous if used by passengers who are too small, said Phil Haseltine, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety.

According to the NHTSA, an incorrectly sized seat belt extender could fail to provide upper body restraint and may pull the lap belt onto the abdomen during a front impact, possibly leading to internal injury.
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So, What are your suggestions or ideas for auto makers?

You know, it's funny - but I have ALWAYS worn my seat belt in the car. However, I FLEW many times without a seatbelt on, because I was too embarrassed to ask for an extension. Go figure....

Mamma Kaye,

I think they should make longer seatbelts...lol! I used to have this very problem when I was 493lbs...not so much anymore...but I do know people who have difficulty fastening them due to their size...it is such an embarrassing and humiliating thing for it not to fit, kinda like needing an extender on an airplane...boy do I remember those days! (Haven't flown since wls...) And don't focus on the "fat" instead focus on the "safety" issue...

Do you think "they" will listen/care what we think or are you just curious to know our thoughts??? I'm just curious....

Blessings!

I actually don't think the automakers care. It would mean more research and more expense to add an extension option to their vehicles and that expense would have to be passed on to the consumer who by in large are prejudiced against obese people in the first place.

I never sat in a car whose seat belts were too small but it was close many times. I can imagine how troubling that would be. No matter the reason, people need to take care of this if they have a seat belt that is too small. They do save lives.

I do always buckle up but some cars are easier than others of course. My sister has a very luxurious car that is the hardest car ever to get in and out of plus buckle up.

Reading this string made me think of the time my husband and I went to buy our last vehicle a couple of years ago. We wanted a small SUV, so my husband got behind the wheel of one just fine; he's a big man but not MO. But when I got in, I could hardly fit with my big behind. I will never forget the embarrassment, shame and anger; needless to say, I never got far enough to buckle the belt. We went to another lot and found one that fit.

Never again...

I started buckling up when my daughter was first born and strapped into her
carseat! WHat good would it have done her if we were in an accident and I was
injured and unable to help her! That did it for me!

I think it is appaling that automakers refuse to outfit their cars for larger people.

Having worked many years with traumatic brain injury patients, I saw the effects of severe car accidents. The seat belt alone could determine whether someone lived or died in the accident.

For those you know whose seat belt do not fit---here is a plce to start-

Do you need a longer seat belt?

I do not wear my seat belt unless I drive into a state where it's law (it isn't in NH for 18 and over) I don't like feeling confind and it barely fits around me.

I bought an Expedition...not because of a particular fondness for the vehicle..but because at 500plus lbs..I fit it. As soon as I hit 300, I downsized to an Escape, and then bought a hybrid as soon as I was under 250...

Glad that my vehicle choices aren't made by my scale anymore.

The auto-makers will never change anything. It is a financial decision for them...and simply put, they make more money the way things are now.

I always buckle up, I feel naked if its not on........

There were times that I could not buckle up because the seatbelt would not reach around me. It was humiliating and fearful. As a result of 1 accident when I WAS buckled (with no airbag), I had to have surgery to fuse 3 bones in my neck. Today I won't put the car in drive until I'm sure everyone is buckled up. If I were at my hightest weight, in my car today, I couldn't buckle up. What would I do for a friend who is as heavy as I used to be? It's the law in our state that you have to be buckled up.

When I couldn't buckle because of my weight, deep down I justified that since I was so heavy, I wouldn't go anywhere....yeah right. Fat people fly through the windshield just as fast as skinny people.

I've been hit 3 times now (not my fault too). Today, with my experience, if I had a friend or family member that I thought might not fit into a seatbelt, I'd go to the dealer and buy and extension and buckle it in the car and have it ready so nothing needs to be said. Life is too precious and injuries can last a lifetime.

Kathy

I have always worn a seat belt, even when it restricted my breathing!
They should make extensions like they do on planes!
(now there is an experience, asking for one of those, it's like asking for your first Tampon...)
(sorry guys)

I had no problem wearing my seatbelt, until they made it into a fine if you were caught not wear it. Most of the time I do, but sometimes I don't.

In 2003, I had been driving a 1995 Plymouth Acclaim. It was roomy enough for me, but my dad wanted me to have a new car. I personally wanted either the Dodge Stratus or the Dodge Intrepid, just because I knew they were roomy. Dad said that he could only afford the Dodge Neon.

I hated it! The buckle would jam into my right hip and leave me sore and with bruises. Since I am short, I have to have my seat up closer to the steering wheel, and even at the furthest position I could go back and still hit the brakes, my stomach still touched it!!

Now that I'm 2 1/2 yrs out, I really love it, but of course, I am afraid of regaining my weight back.

My children were still young before my surgery so yes I always buckled up. At 5'3" ,278 lbs and cursed with freakishly short arms it still wasn't really a problem for me. Seatbelts stretched out far enough. Long car trips while occasionaly uncomfortable were not unbearable.

Side note: For years I had my kids convinced that our car woudn't start until all seatbelts were buckled. lol

I'm a buckler. I have, a few times, had to sit in a friends rear seat unbuckled because of size. That's all changing.

I remember test driving a Honda Civic and not being able to buckle up...that stunk. I sat in the Accord and was able to get things snapped into place with the seat way back. Man, those were times that I blocked from my memory. It wasn't even that long ago.

At my largest, I'd snap the belt into place before getting in the seat. Then I'd slip under the piece that goes over your chest. I couldn't have it over my lap, so I figured that just crossing in front would be better than nothing. In CA it is a law..."Click it or Ticket" is the program here.

As for backseats...never would those fit into place! What's up with that?

How well I remember the days when the seat belt just didn't fit. I'd pull it allllllllllll the way out, suck in my gut as far as my breath would allow, and attempt to "click it." It wasn't funny then! Now I can click it with room to spare. WootWoot!

In my job as a forensic engineer, I regularly find myself crawling around the inside of crushed cars as I investigate causes and effects of vehicular accidents. I have seen brain matter, body parts, fecal matter, vomit, blood, hair, skin, fingers, and all kinds of other body parts and tissues that were regrettably separated from their owners during a period of about 200 miliseconds (0.2 seconds) of a crash. 200 miliseconds that can change or destroy or end a life. A seat belt will GREATLY improve your probability of surviving a serious crash.

I don't care if it is uncomfortable. I don't care if it is embarrassing. I don't care if you have to carry an extension with you wherever you go. WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!!!

For those who have a physics background, you will recall that the equations for projectile motion do not include weight. This means that a heavy body can be thrown just as far as a light body. Then, when the body impacts a surface such as roadway pavement, a dashboard, or a steering wheel, then the force of the impact is greater due to the greater mass of the body.

So, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, deal with any inconveniences and WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. Do NOT tuck it under your arm. Wear both the lap belt and the shoulder harness as they were designed.


Oh, and my other soap box issue... Don't drive when you are sleepy. It is worse than driving drunk!

Before WLS, if I was driving - I ALWAYS WORE MY SEAT BELT! There was one time very pre-wls where a front passenger seat belt didn't fit me. Seat belts in the back seats didn't always fit me. When I went out with friends, I would ask to sit in the front. I was embarrassed, but I wanted to be as safe as possible.

I was raised a buckler and I never liked not wearing one. Now it is not a problem. This is an important issue. Seat belts save lives. Do they make extenders for seat belts in cars?