Date:
02/08/2008 01:03 PM Study: Obese less likely to use seat belts; not all
car models offer longer options
By KRISTIN M. HALL
Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ 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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On the Net:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
