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On average, it is estimated that about 2 fetuses die each day in
the U.S. from maternal involvement in motor vehicle crashes.
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There are about 5 times as many fetal deaths due to pregnancy
related crashes than there are infant MV deaths, yet the fetal
deaths are not reported in offical crash statistics.
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Unlike various chemical exposures, there are no long term
studies that have even looked for possible long term
developmental outcomes from exposure to maternal trauma in the
womb.
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| A fetus is 15 times more likely to die from a motor vehicle
crash than a child 0-14 is likely to die from a firearm injury. |
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On average, 2.3% of women report being hurt in a
“car accident” during pregnancy.
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In an international survey of unsafe seatbelt use
exemptions, at least one third of the responding countries with
national laws had specific exemptions for pregnant women or allowed
pregnancy exemptions under general medical conditions despite strong
evidence that seatbelts reduce the risk of fetal harm.
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Our Mission:
To advocate and improve automobile safety for pregnant women and their
babies through education,
advocacy and research and to provide
information, statistics and services for families and individuals impacted by
pregnancy related
crashes.
Advocates for Auto Safety during Pregnancy is a new organization just
getting started. We are not yet incorporated, but welcome inquiries from
potential future members and other interested persons. Please use the
feedback survey form to contact us the first time or email us.
If you were impacted by a pregnancy related crash and wish to tell us
your story, please use the
Share-a-Story form.
Click here for a current Google™ News search
Seatbelts and Pregnancy
Research emphasizes once more the
importance of wearing seatbelts for pregnant women: “It’s very clear,
based on this study, that pregnant women should buckle up every single
time they’re in a vehicle,” says senior author Mark D. Pearlman, M.D.,
vice-chair in the Department of
Obstetrics and
Gynecology at the U-M Health System. “Our study strongly suggests that
about 200 fewer fetuses each year would die if women simply buckled up
each time.”
Fetal outcome in motor-vehicle crashes: effects of
crash characteristics and maternal restraint
Kathleen DeSantis Klinich, et al, Am J Obstet Gynecol
2008;198:450.e1-450.e9.
US Senate Bill Introduced
The landmark Maternal Motor Vehicle Crash Safety Act
of 2006 was introduced in the U.S. Senate as
Bill 4086 and introduced to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation by Senator Mike DeWine. See the
Congressional record of
his remarks and the full bill.
Overview Published
The hidden epidemic of maternal, fetal and neonatal mortality and injury due to
motor vehicle crashes during pregnancy: A case of societal neglect? Weiss
HB. Transportation Research Record. Journal of the Transportation
Research Board, Management and Public Policy. Issue Number: 1956 (ISBN
030909965X). Washington, DC. 2006. pp 133-140.
From 1975 to 2001, the average annual vehicle miles driven by
reproductive age women increased from 3,721 to 8,258. This increase has been
fueled by a combination of factors including increased employment, population
growth, urban sprawl, inadequate mass transportation, and rising affluence.
Unfortunately, this boost in motor-vehicle use among young women has had a major
unintended consequence: It has led to a substantial increase in maternal and
fetal exposure to the violence of motor-vehicle crashes. Tragically, along with
higher exposure of pregnant women to motor-vehicle crashes, has come the
increasingly better understood impact of pregnancy-related crash-associated
deaths, injuries and other adverse outcomes to pregnant women, fetuses and
infants.
more
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Webinar
on Injury and Pregnancy Wins National Award!
PITTSBURGH --
This online event was a synchronous multimedia educational seminar
entitled “Car Crashes During Pregnancy” that was aimed at a wide
audience of public health practitioners and researchers. It was the
recipient of an online learning award, the Lolas, which recognize
outstanding achievement in the design, delivery and production of live
online learning events from across the globe. The full Webinar can be
viewed on the website of the
Center for Injury Research and Control.
Pregnant drivers' safety is one woman's mission - Kansas City Star
Originally in The Wall Street Journal,
June 10, 2004
NEW YORK --
As a University of Idaho student, Laura Thackray began
designing a crash-test dummy to better protect a particular subset of
automobile passengers: pregnant drivers and their fetuses...
more
Survivor Tribute:
AASP
