Women often have many questions about what they can and cannot do when pregnant: Can I ride a rollercoaster? Can I go scuba diving? Is my workout still safe? These are just a few of the questions emergency-room doctor Donald Redelmeier gets from his patients, but he wondered why no one asked how their driving is affected by fluctuating hormones, insomnia, fatigue, stress and other symptoms caused by pregnancy.
So, he conducted a study and, surprisingly, it revealed that expectant mothers have a higher risk of getting into accidents, especially during a certain period of pregnancy. The study, which was conducted in Ontario, Canada, examined over 500,000 women from 2006 to 2011. Researchers assessed how often these women got into accidents before, during and after pregnancy over the six-year period. Numbers showed that three years prior to being pregnant, they were involved in 177 crashes per month, and while pregnant that number jumped to 252 crashes a month.
The study concluded that pregnant women are 42 percent more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident and risk is at its highest during the second trimester of pregnancy. While Dr. Redelmeier doesn't suggest that women hand over the keys to their husbands, he does stress the importance of following safe driving practices.
"Every one of our crashes in the study could have been avoided by a small change in driver behaviors," stated Redelmeir. He also went on to say, "These individuals are enormously problematic to care for. Many of the standard procedures, such as CT scan of the abdomen, are contraindicated for pregnant women ... These are circumstances that are best avoided."
Simple Driving Tips for Pregnant Women from Crown Toyota
- Always, always, always wear your seatbelt, even if your vehicle has airbags! And do not place the belt above your belly. The strap should go across your chest and the bottom portion should be placed across your hips under your belly.
- More seatbelt dos and don'ts: DO NOT place the strap behind your back or under your arm and DO remove any extra layers of clothing for greater comfort.
- Drive defensively to avoid getting into a collision with a careless driver.
- Avoid long trips, or if you must take a long drive, stop for regular breaks.
- Move your front seat back if needed to improve comfort.
- When possible, simply don't drive. Ride as a passenger instead.
- Keep bottles of water and snacks in the car in case of emergency.
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