| Research shows - it's proven to be true, you must be twice as safe - when driving for two. |
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| SAFERMOM.COM Creating a safer world for expectant Moms |
| University of Michigan Researchers show why Mom needs to be |
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| extra cautious in her motor vehicle |
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| New Data Will Keep Pregnant Women Safer While Driving, Say University of Michigan Researchers WARRENDALE, Pa., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers from the University of Michigan will report their recommendations on greater safety for pregnant drivers at the 1999 International SAE Congress & Exposition March 1-4 in the Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan. The UM researchers will discuss new information they obtained on unbelted pregnant drivers involved in a frontal crash during their last trimester. These women will experience direct impact to the uterus by the steering wheel because, by the ninth month, about one quarter of the uterus lies above the wheel. The University of Michigan researchers conducted the study to obtain more comprehensive and quantitative data of physical changes occurring in pregnant women, and the relationship of these changes to vehicle interiors and restraint systems. An estimated 1,500 to 5,000 fetal losses occur each year in the United States as a result of automotive accidents involving pregnant occupants. Kathleen DeSantis Klinich, Lawrence W. Schneider, Jonathan Rupp, Bethany Eby of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, and Mark Pearlman, University of Michigan Medical School, summarize their results in SAE paper 1999-01-0711 ``Challenges in Protecting Pregnant Occupants.'' The quartet of researchers recorded physical changes related to anthropometry and seated posture of 22 volunteer subjects over the course of their pregnancies. In the early 1990s, a first-generation pregnant crash dummy was developed for sled testing, but results are limited because of omission of injury criteria and unrealistic abdomen anthropometry. University of Michigan researchers found that average abdomen size and shape is significantly different from that of the first-generation pregnant abdomen. Subjects also reported that current seat-belts ``ride up and over'' the pregnant abdomen, becoming more horizontal as the occupant's due date approached, posing possible danger upon frontal impact. Authors suggest designing an adjustable lap-belt with anchor points, giving expectant mothers more seat-belt control. For further information, call 1-877-SAE-CONG (723-2664); outside U.S./Canada, 1-724-772-4027; or visit www.sae.org. SOURCE: Society of Automotive Engineers |