You’ll do anything to keep your family safe in the car. You buckle up, use car seats, practice defensive driving, follow traffic laws, and probably a lot more to prevent accidents and reduce the risk of injury if you’re ever in one! And, this maternal instinct to keep your family safe starts at the very beginning.
Many women have the same concerns about seat belt safety when driving while pregnant. They’re often worried about the unborn baby getting hurt in a crash due to the seat belt. Because of this, pregnant women everywhere are searching for the best solutions to protect the baby and the rest of your family in an accident! One thinking you’ll find out there are “pregnancy seat belt positioners.” They’re trendy and they have big promises, but are they a legitimate product?
Let’s explore:
Pregnancy Seat Belt Adjuster: Why This Device Might Be Putting You and Your Baby at Risk
Pregnancy seat belt positioners is a device marketed to pregnant women to help reposition the seat belt. It promises to adjust the seat belt in a way that improves comfort and safety. The idea is the simple device relieves pressure from the pregnant belly and distributes it to the hips, preventing harm to the unborn child in a car accident.
On the surface, they appear logical. The adjuster sits at the front of the seat and allows a pregnant woman to hook the lap belt between her legs. This hypothetically puts crash forces on the thighs instead of the pregnant belly. But, there’s a problem: these devices haven’t been proven safe or effective, and they’re, all around, unnecessary.
Are Pregnancy Seat Belt Positioners Safe?
No. Pregnancy seat belt positioners aren’t crash-tested or recommended by any vehicle manufacturer. If these devices have never been put to the test, how do we even know they’re effective? And the answer is: we don’t! This means pregnancy seat belt positioners likely put you and your unborn baby at a greater risk in an accident by manipulating the seat belt design.
But, don’t worry, you can still drive safely when pregnant. The truth is, standard seat belts are perfectly capable of keeping a pregnant woman safe without harming baby in the event of an accident. You just need to take a moment before driving off to position the lap belt and shoulder belt correctly. We’ll explain how to do that below!
How to Position Your Seat Belt Without a Pregnancy Seat Belt Adjuster
Place the lap belt over the thighs and under your belly.
For the lap belt in question, simply pull the lap belt under your pregnant belly so the strap is lying flat and snug across your thighs. When you wear the seat belt this way, you don’t need to worry about excessive pressure on your pregnant belly in a crash.
Position the shoulder belt to the side of your belly.
For the shoulder belt, ensure the upper strap is on your shoulder and rests between the breast. It shouldn’t be across your neck or arm; and never put it behind your back!
Here's a helpful guide on seat belt positioning from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration.
Maintain 10 inches between your breastbone and the steering wheel, if possible.
The airbag is a common concern for pregnant women driving, and that makes sense! To allow the airbag to work without putting your baby at risk, ensure your breastbone is 10 inches from the steering wheel. This way, the airbag has adequate space to deploy and work as intended. If your stomach is too large to sit this far from the steering wheel, it’s likely unsafe for you to drive. (Here’s more on when to stop driving when pregnant.)
Pregnancy seat belt adjusters are unsafe and unnecessary.
It’s easy to be drawn in by trendy “safety” products with flashy marketing. We all want to keep our families safe especially in the car where they’re arguably the most vulnerable. However, it’s important to find trusted sources that research products like this and give you a clear conclusion on what you should do for your family.
That’s what we do here at Safe in the Seat! You can find lots of information on our blog offering car seat education, vehicle safety advice, and other safety recommendations to keep your family protected. We’re here to help!
