Gas Guzzlers
Lose weight, get better gas mileage: Overweight drivers drag down fuel economy
Automobiles may keep getting lighter, but light not enough to offset our soaring obesity rate — a conundrum that has thwarted the auto industry's attempts at greater fuel efficiency.
Dallas waistlines aren't helping, as our fair city made the cut as one of fattest in America, according to Men's Fitness. Dallas and Tarrant counties also rank in the top 10 for most annual oil consumption.
The use of 1 billion gallons of gasoline per year between 1960 and 2002 can be attributed to the weight gain of the passengers.
Coincidence? Not if Allstate Insurance has anything to say about it. According to a recent report by the insurer, overweight drivers offset higher miles per gallon.
"Federal regulators are requiring 54.5 MPGs for cars and trucks by 2025. But even as the automotive industry goes to extremes to shed weight to meet these rules, heavier drivers are adding unexpected pounds," reads a recent entry on the Allstate blog.
A handy infographic concludes that 1 billion gallons of gasoline per year between 1960 and 2002 can be attributed to the weight gain of the passengers, as each additional 100 pounds drops a fuel economy by as much as 2 percent.
According to the National Resource Defense Council, each person in Dallas county uses about 368 gallons of gas each year. Tarrant county uses an annual average of 339 gallons of gas per person.
Houston, which has the inauspicious title as fattest city in America, is located in Harris County, the no. 2 nationwide consumer of oil. Although Houstonians contribute only 323 gallons of gas per person each year, their total use is 1.6 million, while Dallas' is closer to 1.2 million.