Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin Injury Research Center have made some interesting findings. Their data identifies being obese increases male drivers' risk of dying in a car crash, as does being very slim. However, being moderately overweight might cushion the blow.

The team also found obesity did not affect women's chances of death from an auto collision either.

Shankuan Zhu, M.D., Ph.D., publishes his findings in the American Journal Of Public Health. He says, "Men with the highest body mass index (BMI) were at greatest risk for death from front or left-side collisions, especially at high speeds. Men with the lowest BMI also had higher death rates than the lowest rates, which were found among overweight, but not obese, men."

Their study documents another potentially major health risk associated with obesity and low body mass among men that isn't widely studied and may have important implications for identifying high-risk drivers and for interventions in areas such as obesity, traffic safety policy, and motor vehicle design.