About 67% of prenatal trauma is said to come from car accidents, yet many women refuse to wear seat belts while pregnant, deeming it unsafe. One women I know personally, took a police officer to court, after he stopped her for not wearing a seat belt, giving her a fine, and stated that it was her right to not wear one in order to protect her baby.
The government of Canada, feels that many are simply uninformed, and falsely believe that wearing a seat belt, will some how harm their child should they get into an accident, and say that if worn properly it could save not one, but two lives.
They argue that should a pregnant women be thrown from the vehicle, or be thrown forward into her steering wheel, both mother and child could be killed. They advise women to wear the belt across your chest (resting on your collar bone) and hips (below your belly).
A study conducted by University of Utah, and University of Pittsburgh researchers, showed that pregnant women without a seat belt during a car crash were about three times more likely to experience fetal death, and twice as likely to have excessive maternal bleeding than were belted pregnant women. Those without a seat belt during a car crash were also more likely than their belted counterparts to deliver low birth-weight babies.
The RCMP say there is absolutely no danger to an unborn child by wearing a seat belt, and that any deaths that do occur are usually as a result of improper seat belt wearing on the mother's part. It is unknown if the children would have survived had she not been buckled, nor was I able to find any statistics on deaths of children to seat belt wearers.
So,what do you think about women still refusing to wear a seat belt? Even taking a fine for it. Is it yet another case of people being uninformed? Should she instead be charged for endangerment of a child, as well as receiving a fine for not wearing a seat belt? Or, should police be giving pregnant women the right to choose?
35 comments:
I wore my seatbelt throughout my whole pregnancy, and I also knew girls who didn't wear theirs. I can't say I would want them to be charged with endangerment, because they are now good mothers, but I definitely think they should be fined. I think that someone who complains of being uncomfortable and using that as an excuse is wrong, and selfish...
I didnt wear mine, i just never thought to. when i would remember i did, but its just not habit for me.
I think that you should wear the seat belt no matter what! I think if you dont wear a seatbelt and you get into an accident you could harm yourself or the unborn baby! I was very uncomfortable wearing a seatbelt while I was preg, but its the law to wear them! We have a rule in our car....The car goes nowhere till all seatbelts are on!
I find it extremely ironic that the argument for not wearing a seatbelt is for safety when, in fact, if you don't wear it you can be thrown from the car and you and your child killed. That kind of "logic" just doesn't make sense...
I dont! If your strap drives into your belly, that can kill your baby!!!
That is a very uneducated thing to say.
well, I think that it should be the women's choice and that cops should let a women go without a fine if they are obviously pregnant.
Pregnant or not...wearing your seat belt is a law and if you're caught without wearing one, you should be fined and if you're caught repeatedly, you should have your liscense suspended in my opinion. Not only are your risking your own life, but you are risking the life of your child as well. Would you put your child in the car without properly restraining them in a carseat? Hopefully not because you would want them to be safe...so shouldn't you want the same safety for the child you are carrying? Besides that, D...if you wear your seatbelt properly, there is no danger to your child.
"Would you put your child in the car without properly restraining them in a carseat?"
Good comparison!
the seatbelt may be uncomfortable when pregnant but gee would i want the seatbelt to dig into me and save myself and my babies life or be comfortable and be thrown from the car to die on impact?
such a hard decision lol
i agree with the fines completely.
Do you think that women, if obviously prego, should be fined twice, once for themselves, once for the baby? After all, if that child was in a car seat, would the parent not be fined twice, if neither were buckled?
no but i think the fines should be higher than a women who is not pregnant
I think whenever you get into a car you should wear your seatbelt. I think you should get fined for not wearing one NO matter what! I would never let my kids go into a car without one, so whats the difference when they are unborn?
I think women should have the right to chose. what's the difference in this between any other decision a pregnant women has to make? like smoking.
Dangers aside, the difference is that it's illegal to ride in a car without a seatbelt, but it's not illegal to smoke if you're of age.
well my point is, that i htink it should be the womans right to choose just like it is for a pregnant woman to smoke? dont you? just like the other day when it was tha parents chouce to choose on whether to give the kids a blod transfusion, same thing right?
i think what the previous poster is saying is that the government has already made it illegal not to use a seatbelt. there is no room for negotiating here. it is not illegal to smoke but it IS to not wear a seatbelt. if youa re not wearing a seatbelt and a police officer catches you you WILL be fined. in fact officers of the law frequently to stop checkpoints to CHECK for proper seatbelt use.
Exactly my point. I don't see why there is room for discussion on this...it's the law to wear a seatbelt whether you are pregnant or not. It has nothing to do with smoking or blood transfusions...both of which are not illegal to do or not do.
i know it is the law now. but i am saying that i thik it should be changed, a mother knows whats best for her baby.
I absolutely think that a woman who is very pregnant, should be fined twice, Why not???
Why would the gov't change a law that was put in place to protect people, you cant be serious...
Because! the gov. gets into poeples business enough! its time they backed out and let people make decision for themselves. if people know the suposed risk then why not let them make up their minds???
The reason i am against pregnent women wearing seatbelts is because one of my friends cousins lost her baby after she was in an accident, and she WAS wearing a seatbelt...
is that what the police told her?
no, of course not! and why would they, that would just prove them wrong, they wouldnt admit it even if they knew it was true but she knows thats what happend to her baby!
Was she wearing the seatbelt properly? Just because something happened to someone who knows someone w ho knows your 3rd cousin's best friend's hairdresser's dog walker doesn't negate a law change...unfortunately tragic things happen, but the deaths related to seatbelts are SO few compared to the deaths related to not wearing one that the law is quite obviously a good one.
My friend was in a car accident when she was preg, if she had not been wearing her seatbelt neither her of her baby would be here!
exactly and it has been PROVEN. seat belts save more lives than they take otherwise it would not be a law...
well thats up to you, and the the previous comment, you don't need to be rude, i am just explaining to you where my suport for moms who dont want to wear them comes from.
I don't see any rudeness...just someone stating an obvious fact.
"Just because something happened to someone who knows someone w ho knows your 3rd cousin's best friend's hairdresser's dog walker.."
I found that rude, maybe its just me. (not)
I have always, and will always wear my seat belt. There are too many accidents that end in death because of ppl not wearing seat belts. The thing that gets me is that ppl never seem to wear them in cabs. Also, just to point it out, car seats are not a must in cabs! I thought this was awful! There are cab companies that have car seats on board, take the extra time and effort and call them!
There are?? What company??
Georges sky cab! i use them all the time!
loyal taxi carries the car seats! i had to take a cab once from dech and i called them and he took it out of the trunk for me and hooked it up! there may be one other company who does. i didn't know either t his time i had no other choice but a cab which is the reason i have never taken my daughter in a taxi.
and to the other poster that was not rude it was only stating that law isn't gonna change for some random person whose family 'feels' that a seatbelt caused a death and until you can actually prove something that ridiculous there is no point in arguing lol statistics are against you!
I always take my daughter in georges sky cab because it has a car seat...I have to use taxi's because I don't have a car and I find nothing wrong with it.
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