Ties into two of cyclists common complaint/concerns about others...

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/1025obesity-gas25-ON.html

Al

Hmm. I was about to run through the math to demonstrate what a silly article this is. To my surprise, it has some merit.

My car, fully laden, weighs 3000lb. If I were to become a lardass, it would weigh 3050lb, a 1.7% increase. Of course, my car spends more energy overcoming aerodynamic drag than inertia, but still, call it a .5%-1% increase in fuel consumption. Small, but definately there.

The real gains from weight loss come from driving a smaller car. Lose the spare tire, and you can trade in your Camry for a Corolla or your Corolla for a Yaris. And a Yaris weighs many hundred pounds less than a Corolla.

But where you're going to save the most money is by keeping out of the hospital. My overweight mom, who's 55, recently had a heart attack, which cost her insurance company $15000, plus she was out of work for six months.

usaToday had a similar article but there is no way to determine the miles that are driven that could otherwise be walked if the person wasnt fat. (Not obese, plump, heavy, large, or over weight but Fat!)

I reckon those folks are more likely to go out and buy a lighter-weight car so as to keep the same fuel economy rather than go on a diet!