After facing years of relentless chastising from everyone from airlines to Bloomberg, the overweight gentry finally have something to throw back in the faces of their malnourished persecutors: When it comes to getting hit by a car, having some extra padding could actually save your life.
NYU's Langone Medical Center conducted a study examining more than 1,400 pedestrians and cyclists who received treatment for collisions at Bellevue Hospital between December 2008 and June 2011. The study focused not so much on where and when the crashes occurred, but on the patients themselves. Whereas skinny people snap like sticks from the mere kiss of bumper, thicker folks are more likely to deflect an accident. The report, obtained by the Times, says that it is "not implausible that a greater proportion of torso and extremity fat may protect against injury" and that victims an above-normal body mass index were found to have less severe injuries. On the other hand, the study's lead author did add that "generally, overweight and obese patients fared worse once admitted to a hospital."
Other factoids from the report: Pedestrians are hit most often while in the crosswalk walking with the light. According to the Times, "six percent of pedestrians were injured while on a sidewalk, and of those injured on the street, 44 percent used a crosswalk, with the signal, compared with 23 percent who crossed midblock and 9 percent who crossed against the signal."
Other things to watch out for? Obviously being drunk, tooling around on your phone, and venturing anywhere near a taxi are all big hazards—even if you've got extra safety padding.
