01016526

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/conf/CP35v2.pdf

Providing effective protection for fetuses of pregnant occupants in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) poses a challenge to automotive safety engineers because of limited data on the causes of fetal loss and injury. Recent studies have improved the understanding of biomechanical factors leading to adverse fetal outcomes in MVCs and have resulted in tools to evaluate restraint system performance in pregnant occupants. An anthropometry study of seated pregnant occupants throughout gestation has provided data on the size and shape of the pregnant abdomen relative to steering wheels and belt restraints. In-depth investigations of 42 crashes involving pregnant occupants resulted in logistic regression models that estimate the risk of adverse fetal outcome on the basis of crash severity and maternal restraint use. Data from these studies were used to develop a pregnant abdomen and injury reference values for the small female Hybrid III crash dummy. Highest-priority areas for future research are to monitor fetal outcomes after MVCs systematically, improve instrumentation for the pregnant crash dummy, expand the database of MVCs involving pregnant women, and measure material property characteristics of uterine and placental tissue.

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01016517

English

pp 135-140

2005

Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings

Conference on Research on Women's Issues in Transportation

0309093945

Print

Figures (6) ; Photos (2) ; References (17) ; Tables (1)

Anthropometry; Crash investigation; Crash severity; Dummies; Fetus; Pregnant women; Regression analysis; Seat belt use; Seat belts; Steering wheels; Traffic crashes; Vehicle safety

Biomechanical mechanisms; Future research

Data and Information Technology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety

TRIS, TRB

Jan 31 2006 10:22AM

• Activities, Time, and Travel: Changes in Women's Travel Time Expenditures, 1990-2000
• Comparing Women's and Men's Morning Commute Trip Chaining in Atlanta, Georgia, by Using Instrumented Vehicle Activity Data
• Computational Model of Pregnant Motor Vehicle Occupant
• Differences in Trip Chaining by Men and Women
• Does Residential Density Affect the Travel "Gender Gap"?
• Gender as a Determinant of Car Use: Evidence from Germany
• Gender Differences in Automobile Choice Behavior
• Gender Differences in Bicycling Behavior and Facility Preferences
• Gender Differences in Travel Patterns: Role of Employment Status and Household Structure
• Gender Differences in Walking Behavior, Attitudes About Walking, and Perceptions of the Environment in Three Maryland Communities
• Gender Equality as a Subsidiary Objective of Swedish Transport Policy
• Influence of Residential Location on Travel Behavior of Women in Chennai, India
• Integration of Gender Equality into Transport Policy and Practice in Sweden
• Is It Safe to Walk Here? Design and Policy Responses to Women's Fear of Victimization in Public Places
• Market Research on Gender-Based Attitudinal Preferences and Travel Behavior
• Nonfatal Transportation-Related Injury Among Women: Differences in Injury Patterns and Severity by Age
• Pregnant Women and Safety Belts: What Do We Know?
• What Are Young Female Drivers Made Of? Differences in Driving Behavior and Attitudes of Young Women and Men in Finland
• Women's Involvement in Pedestrian-Vehicle Crashes: Influence of Personal and Environmental Factors
• Women's Travel Behavior and Land Use: Will New Styles of Neighborhoods Lead to More Women Walking?
• Women's Travel: Can the Circle Be Squared?