How to Keep Your Unborn Baby Safe from Harm in a Florida Car Crash

Florida car crashes happen every day. We all know what to do to protect ourselves from being injured in a Palm Beach car crash. But what if you are pregnant? Do you know how to ensure that your unborn child is not harmed in a Palm Beach auto accident?

Studies have shown that women who have been involved in a car crash while pregnant have a markedly higher risk of placental abruption, pre-term labor, pre-term delivery, and low birth weight than women who were not involved in car crashes during their pregnancy.

First and foremost, you should always drive as safely as possible. But you cannot predict or control the actions of the other drivers around you, so in order to ensure that you and your unborn child are as safe as possible, you should consider the following recommendations:

• Always wear a seat belt. Some women fear that a seat belt will cause harm to their unborn child if they happen to be involved in a car crash. Studies have shown, however, that most injuries to the fetus in a car crash are a result of the mother sustaining serious or fatal injuries herself. In order to keep you baby safe, you must first ensure that you are secured as safely as possible.

• Ensure that your seat belt is placed around your body properly. Your seat belt should always ride snugly under your belly and across your hips—never across your pregnancy belly. Your shoulder belt should be positioned beside and around your belly, traveling between your breasts and across your shoulder. You should always adjust the shoulder belt to an appropriate height and should never place your shoulder belt under your arm.

• Sit as far as possible from the steering wheel. Your child could be harmed by the force of your belly striking the steering wheel. In order to prevent this from happening, sit as far away as comfortably and safely possible. It is suggested that you keep your breastbone at least ten inches from the steering wheel. If you are traveling with someone else, ask him or her to drive whenever possible, as it is much safer for a pregnant woman to travel in the passenger seat.

• Do not turn off the airbag. Some women are afraid that the force of the airbag will cause harm to their child. But the risk of harm is much lower than if there were no airbag present in the vehicle. In order to safely travel in an airbag-equipped seat, sit as far as comfortably possible from the airbag.

You cannot always prevent a Palm Beach car accident, but the actions you take can keep you much safer if you do happen to be involved in one. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a Florida car crash, you need to contact a Palm Beach car crash attorney immediately.