Seat belts protect unborn babies: study

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A pregnant woman who wears a seat belt greatly reduces the risk that her baby will die or be seriously hurt in a vehicle crash, according to a study that debunks the notion that seat belts are harmful to the fetus.

The University of Michigan researchers estimated that based on their findings, published on Wednesday, the lives of 200 of the roughly 370 fetuses killed yearly in U.S. vehicle crashes would be spared if all pregnant women wore seat belts.

"Seat belts absolutely protect the fetus -- and not wearing a belt is a big problem," Dr. Mark Pearlman, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "Every single time they get in a motor vehicle, pregnant women should wear their seat belts without question -- every single time."

The researchers performed detailed analyses of 57 crashes involving women who were at least 20 weeks pregnant. Twelve fetuses were killed in the crashes.

Pregnant women who wore seat belts cut the risk of their fetus being killed or experiencing other serious complications in a vehicle crash by 84 percent compared to women who did not wear seat belts, the researchers said.

In the study, 72 percent of the women were wearing seat belts. Only 38 percent of the women whose babies died or suffered serious complications were wearing seat belts.

The serious non-fatal complications included the woman's placenta prematurely separating from the uterine wall, preterm birth prior to 32 weeks of pregnancy and direct fetal injury, the researchers reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Pearlman said he hoped the findings dispel once and for all what he called the "myth" that wearing a seat belt is harmful for the fetus.