Inventions: Wearing Seatbelts During Pregnancy
May 14th 2008 by Dr.MOZ in Family Safety, Pregnancy
Daddy Types had a great post about the Australian-made Tummy Shield which was designed to reduce the risk of injury during a car accident (to baby and mother) by repositioning the seat belt over the thighs instead of the belly. There are many products like this on the market, and they all sound great…but few of them have readily available crash test data to support their safety claims. Below are just a few related products along with their safety notes and sources:
- Tummy Shield (seen above): a platform placed on the car seat guides the seatbelt between the legs and off the belly using a hook positioned between a pregnant woman’s legs (Crash Test Info: Unknown/Unclear)
- BeSafe: a Norwegian designed product designed to secure the lap portion of the seatbelt in the appropriate postion and off the abdomen. (Crash Test Info: Yes)
- Safe’n'Comfy (seen above): a Florida-based company with a product designed to secure the lap portion of the seatbelt in the appropriate postion and off the abdomen. (Crash Test Info: Unknown/Unclear)
- The Maternity Seat Belt: another repositioning device, the Maternity Seat Belt claims to be the “only tested and patented product that provides pregnant women with the necessary means to benefit from the support and safety of the vehicle’s existing seat belt, while giving pregnant women additional comfort and piece of mind.” (Crash Test Info: Yes)
Let us know if you’ve used one of these products (or a related product) by clicking on the comments bubble above. The manufacturers of the mentioned products were invited to comment, so perhaps they’ll provide additional safety test updates or additional product information not found on their websites. They all appear to be useful products, so I’m looking forward to learning more.
Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ
May 14th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I thought everything sold as “restraints” and other safety related products were tested by the government? I also thought toys were tested for lead before they were sold, so that shows what I know.
May 18th, 2008 at 4:36 am
I found the Tummy Shield article most interesting, you commented no test but I found a comprehensive test report on the company’s web site and it’s ADR compliant as requried by law in Australia that’s enough for me, we ordered one yesterday, I’ll keep you posted… Joey
May 19th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Thanks for the comments Joe. The Tummy Shield testing status is listed as “Unknown/Unclear” because it references what appears to be an in-house test made by an undisclosed engineer. The inventor’s note at the beginning of the 10 page pdf states mentions “extensive testing”, but the engineer’s name is withheld for “for privacy reasons”.
I’m sure it’s a great product, but they’ll need to do more to win over most US consumers when it comes to safety concerns. Safety tests in the US typically refer to tests by outside non-profit groups, which can be easily verified by common government sources used by others in the industry. A link to the ADR study (on a ADR website) would be a good first step, and official tests conducted in each country they are sold in would be even better. In any case, please drop by again to post an update to your review. I’d love to know how it worked out after using it for a few months!
~ Dr.MOZ
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:10 am
It seems to me that this should be a definitely good thing, I clearly remember my pregnancy when each time I needed to fasten the seatbelts I was afraid that I can harm a child inside if any problem occurs…
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:53 am
Maybe they should extend the length of the belts or invent something better for the pregnant ladies
August 7th, 2008 at 6:31 am
I didn’t know they weren’t tested extensively by the government. It is very important to position them correctly when your pregnant.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Never heard of the tummy shield before. It looks very useful and could come in handy as well. Extending the seat belt length for pregnant ladies is not a bad idea either.
October 4th, 2008 at 7:57 am
An interesting device, though I’m not completely sold on its safety
October 14th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
i can say from experience that the tummy shield works great. A little uncomfortable, but then again, being pregnant is “a little” uncomfortable.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Great article. I sure hope more reports and studies are done on these products. A couple of years ago a cousin of mine was in a serious accident, seven months pregnant, and lost her baby. Without getting into the details about the accident, there is no doubt in my mind that her baby may have been saved had the seat belt been fitted on her legs. We really need to get these products into the hands of pregnant women.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Wow, I can honestly say I hadn’t thought too much about the risks that could occur from wearing a seatbelt while pregnant. Being only 1 month along, I guess it hasn’t been a comfort factor or anything, but I am going to look into that tummy shield. Thanks.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:25 am
Please find the following information in question about Tummy Shield, if you have any question, commits and or suggestions please email: info@tummysheildusa.com
Test Lab that conducted testing on Tummy Shield: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/crashlab
Lead Engineer:
Tom Gibson BE MSc PhD CPEng
Actual Crash Test Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_xhJaTAUSU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMTUTFhkEB4