EXPECTANT MOTHERS

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30776, 14 June 1965, Page 2

EXPECTANT MOTHERS

Use Of Safety Belts In Cars

How safe is an expectant mother in a car? Not very safe at all, unless she is wearing a safety belt, according to a British radio reporter, Miss Hilary Haywood. Miss Haywood, in a broadcast in the B.B.C's. World Service, said the safety belt must be of the straight diagonal type, not a lap strap. This was because the diagonal belt did not press upon an expectant mother’s unborn child. Instead, it went across the mother’s shoulder and chest. “Nature has done rather well for the safety of the unborn baby, for the growing infant is floating within the mother and it is most effectively shockproofed,” said Miss Haywood. But nature, she said, would not protect the mother in a car crash, so she had to take her own safety measures. “It has also been concluded that the regular wearing of safety belts reduces the chances of serious injuries by 80 per cent and of all injuries by about 50 per cent,” said Miss Haywood. For the mother-to-be who drove, the best belt was an automatic diagonal type in which the webbing strap gave gently with the wearer’s movements but automatically locked tight when the car swerved, braked, or stopped suddenly. In Britain, said Miss Haywood, only one safety belt manufacturer made this type of belt.