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10 Ways To Safely Wear Seat Belt When Pregnant
It goes without saying that when you are in a car you must wear your seatbelt. Even pregnant women are not excluded from this rule. Wearing a seatbelt is required by law which does not change when you are pregnant.
Indeed, it can be quite uncomfortable driving with a seatbelt on when one is pregnant.
Some may say it’s not safe for a pregnant woman to be on seat belt. On the contrary, it is safer for a pregnant woman to be on seat belt. The pregnant woman just need to wear it the right way to avoid impact on the fetus.
Statistics have revealed that your chance of being injured in an accident and/or the severity of injury may be greatly reduced if you are wearing your seat belt. It is strongly recommended that the driver and all passengers buckle up every time they are on board. Using seat belts save lives and reduce impact in crashes.
So in order to stay safe, we have listed 10 ways to safely wear seatbelt when pregnant.
1. Place the lab belt below your belly; touching your thighs. Lift belly up, make sure lap belt is low and flat on top of thighs. Never wear the belt above or across your belly.
2. Pull upwards on shoulder belt to make lap belt snug.
3. Shoulder belt should lay between breasts.
4. Tilt steering wheel upwards if possible.
5. If you are driving, make sure you keep your belly a safe distance away from the air bag. Slide front seat as far back as possible – to sit as far away from airbag.
6. Never place the shoulder belt under your arm or behind your back.
7. Keep vehicle seat as upright as possible. Reclining increases the chance of the lap belt pressing on the uterus in a crash.
8. Always wear your seat belt even when in the back seat. The safest type of seat belt to wear is a lap and shoulder belt combination.
9. Don’t wear a seat belt with bulky clothing, and don’t slip the shoulder harness under your arm.
10. Avoid long trips close to your due date and stay within a short driving distance of home or the hospital.
