Did you know that when a pregnant woman wears a seatbelt incorrectly, the baby’s risk of bad outcome or death in a car crash increases by 5x?
If you’re a parent-to-be, you’re likely seeing advertisements for “pregnancy seat belt adaptors” everywhere. But do they work? Should you have one?
Dr. Darria here, board-certified emergency physician and mom of 3 – so I KNOW how important this is!
A few stats:
- Wearing a seatbelt correctly in pregnancy is HUGELY important – in fact, if all pregnant women wore their seat belts correctly, it would cut the number of fetal death in car crashes in HALF.
- A new study out of Germany – showed that “pregnancy seat belt adaptors” actually put mom and baby at MORE risk
Pregnancy Seat Belt Adaptors Study
- They tested 4 systems – of those, all 4 FAILED.
- NONE of them kept the belt in place below the abdomen.
- IN fact, they conveyed even more pressure on baby than in the standard seatbelt
- NONE were able to withstand the forces of the impact and broke
- The plastic and metal hooks of the adaptors broke, and pressed into the pregnant woman’s abdomen and groin
- They caused the abdomen and pelvis accelerations in a crash to increase by 30%, and move more, making them more likely to hit the steering wheel
So, bottom line, do NOT use these! The seat belt that comes installed with your new vehicle, without any after-market adjustments, is THE best way to keep both you and baby safe.
Other errors we see in pregnancy seat belt use
Common error – to put this OVER the belly – but see in this graphic from the NHTSA what happens when you do that.
In that case, in a car crash, instead of the seatbelt holding the mama correctly, it slides up and catches her abdomen, and causes her to slide down, putting her hugely at risk. And hat lap belt by not being positioned correctly not only compresses the baby, it causes the chest belt to be positioned incorrectly, and also compress the abdomen. .
How to wear a seat belt correctly in pregnancy
- Lap belt – down low, across your bony pelvis – so after 12 weeks, that’s under the belly, and pushing on the bones of the pelvis
- Shoulder belt – start between your neck and shoulder, across collarbone, and between your breasts. NEVER under your arm or behind you
Wearing your seat belt the right way – is the best way to keep both you and baby safe in a car so share this with every pregnant mama you know!
All my best,
- Dr. Darria
