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The bigger my wife gets (she's pregnant, I'm not just being mean) the more uncomfortable she is wearing a seatbelt in the car.

It's illegal to not wear one in the UK and we wouldn't want to risk not wearing one anyway, but I'm wondering if there are any safe alternatives to having it round the bump?

flag	asked Jan 19 at 19:21 Rich Seller 2,518●1●4●16

+1 Good question! I hated wearing my seat belt near the end of my pregnancy so much that I stopped driving and walked or took public transit. :) – cat_g Jan 19 at 20:12

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Having recently gone flying catching a falling granny when the tram had to brake hard, I would be wary of public transport when heavily pregnant – Rich Seller Jan 19 at 20:22

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I wouldn't ride the streetcar/bus/subways without a seat while pregnant. I'm not shy to say something like, "Would anyone give a pregnant lady a seat?" Before I'd finished my sentence someone always offers a seat. But you have to be willing to say something when no seats are free. :) – cat_g Jan 19 at 20:50

very sensible approach – Rich Seller Jan 19 at 21:00

Matthew Jones · Accepted Answer · 2010-01-19 19:25:52Z UTC

The Department for Transportation's website contains a leaflet (pdf link) that shows how to wear a seatbelt. Specifically:

1 Wear the diagonal strap between your breasts, moving the strap around the side of your bump.

2 Make sure the lap strap sits comfortably under your bump. If it is over your belly button then it is too high. It should go from hip bone to hip bone, as low as possible.

Shannon B · Answer 2 · 2010-01-19 19:42:30Z UTC

There are also videos online showing how to properly wear your seatbelt while pregnant and numerous articles documenting the importance of continuing to wear your seatbelt no matter how uncomfortable you are. You can do much more damage to the mother/child by being in a car accident without a seatbelt on, then the damage a seatbelt can do.

Lin · Answer 3 · 2010-01-20 05:31:49Z UTC

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there are a few products on the market that avoid the baby bump whilst still keeping you safe:

Pregnancy Seat Belt Harness

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another great one is an Australian product called Tummy Shield which is very popular here but has it's limitations if you're wearing a skirt or dress!

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answered Jan 20 at 5:31

Lin
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+1 for the links, that first one looks really uncomfortable though – Rich Seller Jan 20 at 16:19

Wearing a seatbelt when heavily pregnant

3 Answers