Road Safety

Pregnant Women

Some pregnant women do not wear their seat belt because they fear it will crush the foetus should an accident occur, or if they need to brake suddenly. Others believe the belt may cause the womb to rupture or the placenta to detach.

This is not true!
In fact, it has been proven that in nearly all accidents involving a mother-to-be, death of the foetus is caused by death of the mother, not by pressure due to the belt.

By limiting upper body movement, the seat belt keeps the mother as far away as possible from the steering wheel or the dashboard. The forces of an impact are distributed by the seat belt over the strongest areas of the body, i.e. the bone structures of the thorax and pelvis. A foetus is naturally protected by the mother's bones, muscles and amniotic fluid.

Under the Highway Safety Code, pregnant women are required to wear their seat belt at all times. The Association des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Québec recommends pregnant women always use a seat belt.

Of course, the seat belt needs to be properly adjusted:

• the lap belt must always be worn low across the pelvic bone as close as possible to the pubis, not on the abdomen;
• the shoulder belt is worn diagonally across the chest in the usual manner;
• belt tension should never be slack.

Have you been in a collision? See your physician immediately!

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