Pregnant moms generally are very careful to protect their unborn babies. However, it turns out that some moms skip buckling their seat belt in the last weeks of pregnancy, thinking that the seat belt may hurt the baby in case of an accident.
Unfortunately, this wrong thinking could cause serious injury or death to both mom and baby. A recent Maternal Mortality Review cited a statistic from the Iowa Department of Transportation showing that 18% of maternal deaths in Iowa were from motor vehicle crashes.
Fully 70% of the pregnant women who died in vehicle accidents on Iowa roads were not wearing a seat belt. Even a minor accident during pregnancy could cause injury to mom and baby if the mom is thrown forward or sideways.
There is a pictograph available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) showing the right and wrong ways to use a seat belt during later stages of pregnancy. Go to the NTSA website for more useful and easy-to-follow information.
Another important message to pregnant women is this: Drive defensively to prevent situations that lead to accidents. In other words, put down the phone. Tell your other children you must pay attention while driving. Buckle up.
Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Health Department.
