Obese drivers are more likely to die in car crashes because their seat belts do not tighten as quickly, a new study has found.
They are thrust further forward due to their extra soft tissue which prevents the belt from tightening immediately against the pelvis.
Scientists say they believe car design may now have to change to protect overweight drivers.
Analysis of US collision data found those who were most overweight - in the World Health Organisation obesity category III (a BMI above 40) - were 80% more likely to die in an accident than drivers of a healthy weight.
Those in category II (a BMI between 35 and 39.99) were 51% more likely to be killed in a crash, while the risk was even lower for those in category I (a BMI beween 30 and 34.99), at 21%.
When broken down by gender, obese women were found to be at greater risk than men.
Those in obesity category III were almost twice as likely to die on the road than their male counterparts, the scientists said.
The authors, from the University of California and the University of West Virginia, published their findings in the Emergency Medicine Journal.
Their analysis of more than 3,403 pairs of drivers also showed underweight men were more likely to die in a collision than motorists of a healthy weight.
The authors said: "Findings from this study suggest that obese vehicle drivers are more likely to die from traffic collision-related injuries than non-obese occupants involved in the same collision.
"Obese cadavers had significantly more forward movement away from the vehicle seat before the seat belt engaged the pelvis owing to additional soft tissue that prevents the belt from fitting close to the pelvis when the cadavers were in the driving position.
"The additional forward motion by cadavers was seen for the abdomen and lower extremities."
But they said obese drivers may be more likely to have underlying health problems which could put them at higher risk in a road accident.
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