American experts called for the creation of "fat" dummies for crash tests
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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American medical experts called for carrying out automobile crash tests on mannequins of increased mass, Daily Mail writes.
The reason for such an initiative was the results of a study conducted by members of the University of Buffalo and the Erie County Medical Center. Scientists have analyzed more than 150 thousand accidents that occurred in the USA from 2000 to 2005 and recorded in the database of the National Accident Reporting System. The outcomes of the accident were grouped according to the body mass index of the drivers.
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It turned out that people with average obesity died in accidents 21 percent more often, and people with severe obesity 56 percent more often than drivers with normal weight. In this case, the greatest survival was observed among people with slightly increased body weight.
Having obtained these data, the researchers came to the conclusion that it was necessary to modify crash tests of cars, which are currently carried out on mannequins corresponding to a person with normal weight.
According to the head of the research Dietrich Jehle, it is necessary to produce and include in the test "fat" mannequins, to make vehicles more safe for drivers with obesity.