--- description: A dummy maker is building an obese model to reflect the weight Americans are putting on title: Car Crash Test Dummies Are Getting Fatter Because We Are, Too image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa67ee1c39d56782/69876389a988ca637d6aa1d6/crash-dummies.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Car Crash Test Dummies Are Getting Fatter Because We Are Too by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 30, 2014 5:34 PM CUT  A Ford crash test dummy is shown at the Crash Barrier Dearborn Development Center March 10, 2014 in Dearborn, Michigan. A Ford crash test dummy is shown at the Crash Barrier Dearborn Development Center March 10, 2014 in Dearborn, Michigan.Bill Pugliano—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 30, 2014 5:34 PM CUT Like the God of Genesis, auto crash testers fashion dummies in their own image. Crash test dummies have four limbs and a head so that when they’re strapped into a doomed car, the collision shows what a real human ramming a vehicle into a solid wall looks like. The problem is, our image has changed, and the svelte dummy of yesteryear is a hopeful mirage at best. So instead, we need obese dummies. That’s because more than [0ne-third](http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html "undefined") of Americans are obese, and obese drivers are more likely to die in a car crash. Humanetics, a company that makes crash test dummies, is making their dummies bigger, with one version that weighs 270 lbs and has a BMI of 35, [NPR](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/10/30/360124862/new-crash-test-dummy-to-gain-pounds-to-reflect-fatalities-among-obese?utm%5Fsource=twitter.com&utm%5Fcampaign=npr&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fterm=nprnews "undefined") reports. The increase in size allows the company to measure belt and airbag loads during crashes. “Obese occupants are up to 78 percent more likely to die in a car crash than an average weight driver,” Humanetics President and CEO Christopher O’Connor told trade publication [Crash Test Technology International](http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/ecc7d46a#/ecc7d46a/20 "undefined"). “Having a body mass index of 35-39.9 percent increases your risk of death by 51 percent.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3548894/fat-dummies/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3548894/fat-dummies/"},"headline":"Car Crash Test Dummies Are Getting Fatter Because We Are Too","datePublished":"2014-10-30T17:34:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T11:07:57.929Z","description":"A dummy maker is building an obese model to reflect the weight Americans are putting on","url":"https://time.com/3548894/fat-dummies/","keywords":["Autos"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa67ee1c39d56782/69876389a988ca637d6aa1d6/crash-dummies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa67ee1c39d56782/69876389a988ca637d6aa1d6/crash-dummies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ford Demonstrates Its Latest Crash Test Technology","caption":"Ford Demonstrates Its Latest Crash Test Technology","creditText":"Bill Pugliano—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3548894/fat-dummies/","name":"Car Crash Test Dummies Are Getting Fatter Because We Are Too"}}]}] ```