Engineering researcher works to make auto seatbelts safer for obese people

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.
That doesn't describe most Americans, who may be much larger or smaller. About one-third of the U.S. adult population is obese. Obesity is defined by the World Health Organization as a body mass index of 30 or greater. BMI is an individual's mass divided by the square of height.