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Women who drive while pregnant are much more likely to crash, a new study has revealed.
Researchers found pregnancy is associated with a significant risk of a serious car crash requiring emergency medical care during the second trimester.
A study of more than half a million pregnant women looked at whether common features of pregnancy such as nausea, fatigue, insomnia, and distraction could contribute to human error increasing the risk of an accident.
Women are 42 per cent more likely to crash their cars while they are pregnant, new research shows
During the three years before pregnancy, the women had 6,922 crashes, or 177 per month. During the second trimester, the women had 757 crashes, or 252 per month.
The increased risk during the middle of pregnancy equalled a 42 per cent increase in the number of serious traffic accidents.
Lead author Dr Donald Redelmeier, a researcher with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and a physician at Toronto University's Department of Medicine in Canada, said: ‘Pregnant women often worry about air flights, scuba diving, hot tubs and other topics in maternal health, yet individuals may overlook traffic crashes despite their greater health risks.’
Statistically, about one in 50 pregnant women will be involved in a motor vehicle crash at some point during pregnancy.
Co-author Dr Jon Barrett, of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said: ‘The increase was almost fully explained by multiple-vehicle crashes in which the woman had been driving a car - not a truck or other miscellaneous vehicle - and had a high triage urgency.’
Dr Redelmeier said: ‘Almost all traffic crashes could be prevented by a small change in driver behaviour.
Pregnant women are more likely to crash as they are distracted by symptoms such as nausea and tiredness
‘The absolute risks among pregnant women, however, are still lower than among men of this age.’
The researchers, whose findings were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, did not see similar increases among women who were pedestrians or passengers nor increases in the number of falls.
Dr Redelmeier said: ‘These findings are not a reason to decide not to have children or a reason to stop driving. Instead, the findings primarily emphasise the need to drive more carefully.’
Standard advice includes avoiding excessive speed, signalling turns, yielding right of way, obeying stop signs, minimising distractions and always using a seatbelt when pregnant.
Dr Redelmeier added: ‘Even a minor motor vehicle crash during pregnancy could lead to irreparable consequences for mother and child.
‘These findings underscore the importance of prevention and indicate that good prenatal care includes safe driving.’
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