This pamphlet explains

the importance of car safety during pregnancy how to wear a safety belt during pregnancy how air bags help protect you during pregnancy types of safety seats for babies and older children how to choose and use a car safety seat

It is very important to protect yourself and your baby—both before and after birth—by using safety belts and seats. Make sure to wear your safety belt and to use a safety seat for your child every time you ride in a car.

Safety Belts and Safety Seats Save Lives

Car crashes are the leading cause of death in people between the ages of 1 year and 45 years. The proper use of safety belts and safety seats could prevent many of these deaths and injuries. Most states have laws that require riders and drivers to buckle up. All states have child restraint laws.

In most cars, the safety belt is one piece, made with a lap and shoulder belt. This is known as a three-point belt. One belt goes across your lap, and the other goes over your shoulder. In some cars, the lap and shoulder belts are separate. Always wear both. If a car only has a lap belt, wear it.

What Happens In a Car Crash

A car crash has two parts. The first is when the car hits something, or is hit, and comes to a sudden stop. The second happens a split second later when anyone not buckled in can fly forward into the steering wheel, windshield, dashboard, or front seat (from the back seat). Think about something falling off a three-story building and hitting the ground. That is what the force of a crash at 30 miles per hour is like.

In a crash or sudden stop, safety seats and belts hold everyone in place. This helps keep them from hitting the inside of the car or each other. Safety seats and belts also keep them from being thrown through the windshield or out a door.

It takes only a second or two for an adult to buckle up. It takes only a couple of minutes to strap a baby into a safety seat. Take the time to be safe—even when you are only going a short distance.

Car Safety During Pregnancy

Although the baby is well protected inside your body, for the best protection in a vehicle, wear a lap and shoulder belt while you are pregnant every time you travel. The safety belt protects you and your baby. Both of you are far more likely to survive a car crash if you are buckled in. Research of crashes and safety belt use in pregnant women suggests that about four out of five babies would have been saved if their mothers had worn safety belts.

How to Wear a Safety Belt During Pregnancy

When wearing your safety belt, follow these rules:

Always wear both the lap and shoulder belt. Buckle the lap belt low on your hip bones, below your belly. Place the shoulder belt off to the side of your belly and across the center of your chest (between your breasts). Never place the shoulder belt under your arm. Make sure the belts fit snugly.

The upper part of the belt should cross your shoulder without chafing your neck. Never slip the upper part of the belt off your shoulder or behind your back. Safety belts worn too loosely or too high on the belly can cause broken ribs or injuries to your belly. But more damage is caused when they are not used at all.

Air Bags and Pregnancy

Newer cars have air bags to protect people riding in the front seat. Air bags are inside the steering wheel and dashboard in front of the passenger seat. Some cars have extra air bags to protect people if the car is hit from the side.

Pregnant women should not turn off air bags. The air bag is made to work with the safety belt. Using them together protects both the mother and her unborn baby. Follow these tips if your car has air bags:

• While you are pregnant, buckle up with both the lap and shoulder belts on every trip.
• If you are driving, the steering wheel should be at least 10 inches from your breastbone.
• When your belly gets big, you may not be able to keep much space between you and the steering wheel. If the car has a tilt steering wheel, make sure that it is angled toward your breastbone, not your belly or head.

Types of Car Safety Seating for Children

Safety Seats for Babies and Older Children

Car safety seats are designed for children of all ages and sizes. The figure (right) gives you an idea of what type of car seat you need.

You will need a safety seat for your baby’s first ride home from the hospital. Plan to get a safety seat well before your due date. You will need time to practice using the seat in your car before your baby’s first car ride.

The safest place in the car for an infant is facing the rear of the car in the back seat. The back of the safety seat supports the baby’s back, neck, and head in a crash. If your baby’s head flops forward, place a rolled towel under the front edge of the child safety seat. Also, place rolled towels or blankets on both sides of the baby’s head and shoulders for support.

Two kinds of safety seats are made for babies—infant-only seats and convertible seats. Infant-only seats are for babies weighing up to 17–22 pounds. These seats always face the rear of the car. Convertible seats fit children from birth to about 35 pounds. They are used facing the back of the car for the first year. They then can be turned to face the front when babies are at least 1 year old and weigh at least 20 pounds. Straps on the seat are used to keep young children in convertible seats. A five-point harness has straps that attach at the shoulders, at the hips, and between the legs.

Children need booster seats when they get too big to fit into forward-facing seats. Booster seats do not come with harness straps. They must be used with a standard lap and shoulder belt. Booster seats are used until children can use safety belts like adults.

Choosing the Best Seat

For More Information Contact the following organizations to find out more about car safety for you and your baby: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20590 Web site: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov American Academy of Pediatrics 141 Northwest Plain Boulevard Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 Web site: http://www.aap.org Contact the following organization for more information about installing car seats and to get a list of trained people who can help you: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site: http://www.seatcheck.org Contact the following organization to learn more about safety belt and child restraint laws in your state: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute 1005 North Glebe Road, Suite 800 Arlington, VA 22201 Web site: http://www.iihs.org

Before you shop for a child safety seat, you should know something about how the seat will be installed. Newer cars and trucks have the LATCH system for installing child safety seats. LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. Special anchors, instead of safety belts, hold the seat in place. If either your car or your safety seat is not fitted with LATCH, you will need to use safety belts to install the car safety seat.

Some safety seats will fit in your car better than others. A well-designed seat that is easy to use is the best for you and your child. When buying a seat, keep these tips in mind:

• Know whether your car has the LATCH system.
• Try locking and unlocking the buckle while you are in the store. Try changing the lengths of the straps.
• Try the seat in your car to make sure it fits.
• Read the labels to check weight limits.
• Do not decide just based on price. Seats that cost more are not always better.
• Do not buy a used car seat if you do not know its history (whether it has been in a car crash). Also, used car seats may be missing parts or instructions. Do not buy a used car seat that looks old or worn, is missing labels with the model number and maker’s name, or is damaged.