Even Crash Test Dummies Have Become Fat In America CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Even Crash Test Dummies Have Become Fat In America

Even Crash Test Dummies Have Become Fat In America

Feb. 12, 2017 2:30 PM ET by Jay Traugott Video / 15 Comments Welcome to the new norm. Over the last 50 years the average American male has added 21 pounds to his gut. The average woman? Try 20 pounds. The obesity epidemic not only has health consequences, but also vehicular safety ones. ABC's Good Morning America has just run an interesting segment we'd like to share with you that goes behind the scenes of a company that's developing the next generation car crash test dummies. Or rather, obese dummies. A few years ago, we ran a story about this company, Humanetics, and how it's developing test dummies that weigh 273 pounds and have a body mass index of 35, which is considered obese by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The video also brings up the subject of "submarining," essentially when you slide under the buckled seat belt in a severe impact. One of the goals of the obese dummy, as well as the elderly dummy, is to come up with a way to prevent that from happening. The idea of an obese dummy may sound kind of funny at first, but the fact is that when a popular becomes heavier, there's a ripple effect, and in this case it's not a good one. If you feel like watching the whole news segment, you can also learn about adult hearing loss. Hey, we care about your health.

Join The Discussion

Show Comments (15)

Gallery

1 Photos Tags: #Crash #Industry News #Video LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top