Engineering researcher works to make auto seatbelts safer for obese people
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 - 08:20
in Health & Medicine
When a hard-hitting frontal car crash occurs, seatbelts engage and airbags deploy. It all happens in milliseconds, and the vehicle's safety features save lives. But these safety systems are not perfect, and are not optimized for every body type and size. In fact, restraint systems in automobiles are designed for the "average" adult male: five feet, nine inches, 172 pounds, with a body mass index, or BMI, of 25. This is just slightly "overweight."