Seat Belt Use by Pregnant Women Could Save 200 Fetuses a Year

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Fetuses were 4.5 times more likely to survive if the mother was wearing the proper seat belt restraint (with or without air bag deployment).

Among the study's other findings:

• Regular use of seat belts by pregnant women will prevent 84 percent of fetal injuries and deaths as a result of car accidents.
• Women in car crashes where the fetus is injured or dies are unbelted 62 percent of the time.
• 79 percent of pregnant women who properly wore a three-point belt, with or without air bag deployment, had "acceptable" fetal outcomes in less severe crashes.
• Air bags do not seem to adversely affect fetal outcomes.

"For pregnant women, the lap-belt portion needs to be worn low over the pelvis as stated in the article, so if there is a crash, basically, the bony pelvis is what the seat belt is restraining rather than [having the force] transmitted to the uterus or the abdomen," Jones explained. "The shoulder belt should simply come up from the side, go between the woman's breasts, and over the shoulder."

More information

Visit Oklahoma State University for more on why you should wear seat belts.