Pregnant woman
According to Sands, Stillbirth & neonatal death charity, 17 babies die shortly after birth in the UK. And that happens every day. The common causes include low birth weight (under 2500g) and different maternal disorders such as diabetes and hypothyroidism.
However, another significant reason for fetal deaths – car accidents - is not directly related to woman’s health. Although there are no exact figures, it is said that almost 1,000 babies die in car accidents before being born.
Today women tend to use cars much longer into their pregnancies instead of travelling on public transport. While car travel might seem much more comfortable, it also increases the risk of getting into an accident.
In order to address this issue, Ford, one of the largest automakers in the world, funded a 3-year project conducted by the scientists at Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Science (SBES).
Throughout these years, they have been gathering data related to pregnant woman’s body. The researchers needed the data so that they could create a computer model of what happens to woman and baby during the crash.
According to Stefan Duma, head of biomechanical engineering at SBES, the biggest risk for pregnant women lies in “placenta uterine attachment. That’s a delicate attachment, and it doesn’t take a lot of force to detach that. If it gets detached, the baby loses oxygen,” says Duma to The New York Times.
The high death rate is also explained by the fact that many pregnant women prefer not to fasten seat belts which make them feel uncomfortable. At the same time the risk decreases if you are in the passenger seat rather than driver’s, simply because of a steering wheel which causes additional danger.
SBES scientists have been running various tests using both crash dummies and computerized human models. As a result, in the next few years Ford, Lincoln and Mercury are planning to provide owner's guide information and manuals aimed at pregnant women and their safety.
femalefirst Zair Kashek
Tagged in motoring news