Automobile restraints do not increase chance of fetal complications following accidents
It is well established that seat belts save lives. However, many pregnant women do not wear seat belts, for fear that the belt itself could injure the baby in a car crash. But is this actually the case? Does the seat belt put the baby at risk? A group of researchers led by Dr. Stacie Zelman from Wake Forest University examined a national database of over two million injured patients, and found over 2,400 pregnant women injured in car crashes. Women wearing a seat belt, having an air bag, or both were significantly less likely to have pregnancy-related complications than women with neither a seat belt nor an air bag. The combination of a seat belt and air bag resulted in the lowest rate of complications.
The researchers conclude that pregnant women should use seat belts with confidence that they will help, not hurt, in a crash.
Source: Wiley-Blackwell
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Other sources
- Seat Belts Save Lives But Can They Hurt Unborn Babies?from Scientific BloggingSun, 17 May 2009, 11:56:17 EDT
- Automobile restraints do not increase chance of fetal complications following accidentsfrom PhysorgSun, 17 May 2009, 3:49:08 EDT
- Car Seat Belts Do Not Increase Chance Of Fetal Complications Following Accidentsfrom Science DailySat, 16 May 2009, 18:35:17 EDT
- Automobile restraints do not increase chance of foetal complications following accidentsfrom Science CentricSat, 16 May 2009, 8:35:22 EDT
- Automobile restraints do not increase chance of fetal complications following accidentsfrom Science BlogSat, 16 May 2009, 0:35:05 EDT
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