title: Investigations of crashes involving pregnant occupants.
abstract: Case reports of 16 crashes involving pregnant occupants are presented that illustrate the main conclusions of a crash-investigation program that includes 42 crashes investigated to date. Some unusual cases that are exceptions to the overall trends are also described. The study indicates a strong association between adverse fetal outcome and both crash severity and maternal injury. Proper restraint use, with and without airbag deployment, generally leads to acceptable fetal outcomes in lower severity crashes, while it does not affect fetal outcome in high-severity crashes. Compared to properly restrained pregnant occupants, improperly restrained occupants have a higher risk of adverse fetal outcome in lower severity crashes, which comprise the majority of all motor-vehicle collisions.
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Klinich
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Pearlman
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017278:Air Bags / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D049188:Prenatal Injuries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control