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Should Pregnant Women Wear Seat Belts
Driving school instructors hear the question all the time; isn’t it dangerous for a pregnant woman to wear a seat belt? The feeling is that the belt itself, being so tight and close to the unborn baby, could cause more harm than not wearing a seat belt at all. The answer is that, no matter what, wearing a seat belt is always the safest possible thing a mother can do. Both the (AAFP) and the American Academy of Family PhysiciansNational Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) agree that pregnant women should always wear seat belts.
To fully answer the question, one has to consider the alternative to wearing a seat belt. It’s a simple matter of physics. In a crash, the unbelted occupants of a car will continue to travel at the speed the car was traveling at the point of impact. Even in a low speed crash, the bodies traveling forward and striking objects in front can do a tremendous amount of damage. A small woman who weighs 130 pounds, with the combined weight of her developing baby, striking the steering wheel or dashboard at 25 mph will experience a crash force of almost 3,000 pounds. That is going to do far more damage to your unborn baby than the seat belt.
Future mothers should also consider the possibility that, if unbelted, they could be ejected from the vehicle; striking the roadway with a tremendous amount of force and then, face the possibility of being struck by another vehicle. No matter how bad the crash, vehicle occupants are always better off restrained within the vehicle.
FamilyDoctor.org, the official website of the AAFP, offers the following advice:
How should I wear my seat belt?
The seat belt should be a 3-point restraint. That means it should have a lap strap and a shoulder strap. Lap and shoulder belts keep you from being thrown from the car during an accident. The shoulder strap also keeps the pressure of your body off of the baby after a crash.
Be sure to wear your seat belt correctly. The lap strap should go under your belly, across your hips and as high as possible on your thighs. The shoulder strap should go between your breasts and off to the side of your belly. Seat belt straps should never go directly across your stomach. The seat belt should fit snugly. If possible, adjust the height of the shoulder strap so that it fits you correctly.
What about air bags?
Most experts agree that air bags are safe and can protect pregnant women from head injury. The air bags in your car should not be turned off when you are pregnant. To be safe, you should move the seat back as far as possible and tilt the seat to get some distance between your belly and the steering wheel or dashboard.
Air bags are not a substitute for a seat belt, so always wear your seat belt even if your car has air bags.
Where should I sit if I’m a passenger?
Where a mother sits has not been shown to affect the safety of an unborn baby in a crash. However, if you are not driving, you should sit in the back seat. Injuries from car crashes tend to be less serious in people who are sitting in the back seat. It is still important to wear a seat belt.
What should I do if I am in a car crash?
You should get treatment right away, even if you think you are not hurt. Most injuries to the baby happen within a few hours after a crash. Your doctor needs to check you and your baby as soon as possible after a crash, especially if you are more than 6 months pregnant.
This article originally appeared in the National Safety Commission Alerts.
About the Author
Dave Herron works for the National Safety Commission as a driver safety educator and trainer. He contributes to the weekly Driver Safety Alerts and develops driver safety courses for www.lowestpricetrafficschool.com.
Babies R Us Coupon Codes: Affordable Ways of Keeping Baby Safe While Traveling
Thanks to online promotions such as Babies R Us coupon codes, new parents don’t have to be terrified of the expenses of buying high-quality baby travel gear. It used to be that top-level baby gear was far too expensive for most families, and happened to look like nothing a dignified adult would want to be seen out in public carrying.
Today, even the best gear is made more affordable with lay away plans and online promo codes. Technology has also made the various baby gear products sturdier, safer, and more comfortable for a whole new generation of babies. And as icing on the cake, these items look elegant and stylish, as well.
Even before a child is born, a parent should begin evaluating his or her options for baby mobility. If the family owns a car, then a car seat is a must. A stroller and a child carrier are also very important to have, especially if one will be doing errands with the child in tow.
A child carrier leaves a parent’s hands free, and cradles the child against the parent’s body. This serves to soothe a fussy baby, as well as allows the parent to go about most chores like grocery shopping and folding laundry with relative ease.
There are many kinds of child carriers on the market today, some of the best of which can be purchased inexpensively with online promotions such as Babies R Us coupon codes and Babies R Us promotional codes.
Make sure to get the correct size of child carrier – too big or too little, and the device will be more of a bane than a boon to the child and caregiver.
The process of choosing a car seat and a stroller should be given much time and attention to make sure that the safest possible device is chosen for the child’s transport. But of course, one must also consider the system’s comfort for the child and the ease of use of the device for the adult.
To help consumers properly evaluate the safety and ease of use of each car seat, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has come up with a ranking system that rates all car seats that passed its safety regulations on their ease of use.
When purchasing a car seat or a stroller, make sure that the straps are secure without being too tight, and that the latches on the straps are too difficult for a curious toddler to undo while his or her caregiver is busy watching the road.
Whenever possible, buy all baby travel gear new, and never accept hand-me-downs, especially car seats. Only the newest models are up-to-date with the latest safety regulations, and have not been subjected to previous wear and tear that might compromise the device’s performance.
About the Author
Dave is computer programmer and loves saving money by using coupons and promotional codes. He offers many of these coupon codes on his web site http://www.couponsaver.org