Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts.

A pregnant woman should wear a

A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.

The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it is more likely that the fetus will not be hurt in a crash. For pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making safety belts effective is wearing them properly.

    See also:

    Door Locks
    WARNING Unlocked doors can be dangerous. Passengers, especially children, can easily open the doors and fall out of a moving vehicle. The chance of being thrown out of the vehicle in a crash ...

    Reclining Seatbacks
    WARNING Sitting in a reclined position when the vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even when buckled up, the safety belts cannot do their job when reclined like this. The shoulder belt cannot ...

    When It Is Time for New Tires
    Factors such as maintenance, temperatures, driving speeds, vehicle loading, and road conditions affect the wear rate of the tires. Treadwear indicators are one way to tell when it is time for new ...