Here’s a startling statistic for you: there are more fetal deaths due to car crashes than there are child fatalities due to bike accidents or infant deaths in car crashes in the first year of life.

The question is why?

It seems that many pregnant women don’t buckle up for fear that the pressure from the taut seat belt would harm their baby if they were in a car crash. Studies have shown that although this sounds logical, it’s completely wrong. In car accidents involving pregnant women, 80% of women who didn’t use seat belts lost their babies; yet, only 29% of fetuses whose mothers were wearing seat belts properly were seriously injured or died.

A recent study from the University of Michigan suggests that the proper use of seat belts by pregnant women could prevent over 200 fetal deaths annually and probably prevent numerous brain injuries in the fetuses that survive.

While only 7% of pregnant women are generally involved in car accidents during their pregnancies, you want to be as safe as possible if you’re in the 7 percent! According to safety experts it’s best for pregnant women to buckle up and position the lap belt under the abdomen to best protect the baby.