A colleague just forwarded me this article from the Guardian, titled:
I was reading these excerpts from the article:
“… when a woman is involved in a car crash, she is 47% more likely to be seriously injured, and 71% more likely to be moderately injured, even when researchers control for factors such as height, weight, seatbelt usage, and crash intensity. She is also 17% more likely to die. And it’s all to do with how the car is designed – and for whom… The situation is even worse for pregnant women. Although a pregnant crash-test dummy was created back in 1996, testing with it is still not government-mandated either in the US or in the EU. In fact, even though car crashes are the No 1 cause of foetal death related to maternal trauma, we haven’t yet developed a seatbelt that works for pregnant women. Research from 2004 suggests that pregnant women should use the standard seatbelt; but 62% of third-trimester pregnant women don’t fit that design.”
… and it got me thinking…
- OT’s work with clients to address needs relating to driving and car transitions/access and adaptations/modifications
- OT’s work with women during all perinatal stages
- OT’s are specialists in ergonomics for maximising safety and capacity with occupational function
- OT’s work with adaptive aids and devices
… have any OT’s come up with solution to this issue yet?
Research & evidence-based practice for OTs in perinatal health, motherhood, and matrescence 