Pregnant Driving Made Safer: 2 Valuable Tips to Consider

As any American driver would know, the saying “seat belts save lives” is more than a mere quote that people like to throw around during safety adverts. It’s something that has actually helped reduce fatalities and hospital days. 

Whenever you get in your car, your brain is probably hardwired to prioritize your safety to the point where your muscle memory is wired to immediately reach over to a seat belt and buckle up. In fact, car safety might have already become second nature to you to the point where you no longer think but just do—a certain degree of safety where you unknowingly buckle up, check your mirrors, drive off without even blinking. However, the experience of driving safely can be significantly different during your pregnancy journey. 

Driving safer for two

While the whole experience of motherhood is something to be thankful for and well worth looking forward to, it’s also worth noting that it can make driving safer a bit more difficult.

Unlike your pre-pregnancy days, where it was easy to move around and strap up without much thought, the fact that you’re carrying a baby means that your body is going through physical changes that will pose a few hurdles. 

You might not think much of it now, but waddling around, carrying an extra 30 to 40 pounds, and being occasionally forgetful will make it hard to keep things as safe as they need to be. In fact, the implications of being pregnant make it difficult to drive a lot safer to the point where roughly 33,000 pregnant women are involved in car accidents per year—that makes out to around two a day in Massachusetts. 

Thankfully, you can prevent your pregnancy and dream of bringing life into this world from hampering your ability to buckle up and drive safely with these key tips: 

Adjust the belt to your belly

One of the main reasons most pregnant women avoid or end up forgetting to buckle up during their drive is that the way a seat belt is built can make them feel more uncomfortable than usual. This is why you will need to adjust the belt.

Although seat belts should be worn properly at all times without exceptions, this doesn’t mean that you’ll need to torture yourself because a simple change is all that you’ll need. By simply adjusting your recline, ensuring that your shoulder strap doesn’t touch your neck, and moving the lap belt beneath your belly, you can help make safe driving a more comfortable experience! 

Keep your airbags on

Contrary to the claims of many that airbags can hurt a baby during a car crash, the truth couldn’t be any further from the opposite because of how much protection such functions afford. 

Together with your seat belt, these parts of your car’s supplemental restraint system help keep you and your little one safe by cushioning any form of impact that may occur. If you suspect that the airbags aren’t working or might not be as dependable as expected, then you can get in touch with Repair My SRS’ experts so that we can help you source a replacement! 

Conclusion

While being pregnant can make tasks in your daily routine a bit harder than usual, it’s important to ensure that bringing new life into the world doesn’t make you complacent when it comes to safe driving. With the key points and tips mentioned above, you will help ensure that you don’t let off your goal of keeping every trip that you have on the road as safe as possible!  

Are you looking for an SRS airbag module reset in Westfield, MA, that can handle your car's needs? Get in touch with us today to schedule an appointment with our team of experts today!