Losing weight could cut gas costs

Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein at 5:35 AM on October 26, 2006.

Americans' extra pounds cost $2.2 billion in extra fuel.

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American men and women are, on average, 24 pounds heavier than they were in the 1960s, and that extra weight results in increased fuel consumption:

Collectively, today's automobiles are burning more gasoline to haul all that extra weight around -- about 1 billion gallons more annually, in fact, than they would if drivers weighed the same as they did in 1960. At recent gas prices of $2.20 a gallon, that adds up to $2.2 billion more spent at the pump each year because of America's weight problem.[WaPo]

Ironically, some experts blame excessive reliance on the automobile for the increasing prevalence of obesity in America.

If Americans became thin enough to save on gas, would they also need increased amounts of fuel to heat their homes because of decreased insulation?

[astrocruzan]

Tagged as: gas, weight, pump, price, fuel economy, car, fat

Lindsay Beyerstein a New York writer blogging at Majikthise.

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