Disease Proof

Posted at 11:57 AM on March 16, 2006 by Gerald Pugliese

Obesity Epidemic's Unforeseen Toll: Larger Passengers Inspire Fatal Boat Accident

BBC news reports that a ferryboat accident in Baltimore, which killed five, was caused in part by the fact that Americans weigh so much more, on average, than they used to. The water taxi was built using 1940s weight guidelines, which assumed the weight of an average rider was 140 pounds. Just a few decades later, the average is closer to 170. In the end the boat was carrying 700 pounds more than its maximum limit, making it too low in the water to operate safely in bad weather.

A simple solution has been proposed: markings on the hull could show how low a boat is in the water.

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Robin K - March 20, 2006 11:14 AM

This falls in "the unbelievable but true" category of life. Interesting too that the BBC reported this angle of the tragedy, and not the American media!

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