Allstate: Obese Hurting Fuel EfficiencyYour Health Journal | Your ...

From The Chicago Tribune?..

And you thought gas-guzzling SUVs were to blame for poor fuel efficiency. Green-minded consumers might consider shedding a few pounds if they want to save the planet.

Allstate Corp.?s The Allstate Blog says obese Americans are hurting the fuel efficiency of vehicles, contributing to more than 1 billion gallons of fuel wasted each year.

The Northbrook-based home and auto insurer teamed with Cars.com to document the struggle between fuel efficiency and passenger weight. Between 1960 and 2002, 1 billion gallons of gasoline could be attributed to the weight gain of motorists in passenger vehicles, said The Allstate Blog, which, along with All Blue Blog, write about developments at the company. Allstate and Cars.com cited a 2010 article by Consumer Reports for the extra gas needed. That translated, however, to less than 1 percent of the total fuel used by passenger vehicles annually.

But more gas is likely to get guzzled as people are getting heavier. Currently, more than a third of adults are obese, but the obesity rate is expected to reach 44 percent by 2030, according to a study last month by the Trust for America?s Health & the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Meanwhile, the federal government is pushing automakers for greater fuel efficiency, point out Allstate and Cars.com. In July 2011, the Obama administration said major automakers will boost the fuel economy of cars and light-duty trucks by model year 2025 to 54.5 miles a gallon. The government said it expects automakers to achieve that by ?the use of advanced technologies.?

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Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=5318

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