Pregnancy puts drivers on edge

Women in the second trimester of pregnancy are more likely to have an accident than other women drivers. The assertion has been termed "baseless" by a Durban gynaecologist. Image: Injury Law

A study of 507,262 pregnant women aimed at establishing if common features of pregnancy such as nausea, fatigue, insomnia and distraction contributed to errors when driving or the risk of a crash. It found a 42% increase in serious traffic accidents during the middle term of pregnancy.

"During the three years before pregnancy, women on average had 177 a month. During the second trimester, women had an average of 252 accidents a month," a research paper published in the Canadian Medical Association journal said.

The researchers did not see similar increases among women who were pedestrians or passengers.

About one-in-50 pregnant women will be involved in a crash.

"Pregnant women often worry about air flights, scuba diving and hot baths but often overlook traffic accidents, despite the greater health risk," said lead author and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences Researcher Dr Donald Redelmeier.

He said the findings did not imply that pregnant women should stop driving. "These findings underscore the importance of prevention and indicate that good prenatal care includes safe driving," he said.

Several Durban gynaecologists refused to comment on the findings saying they appeared "baseless".

"The study does not [specify] the exact causes of the accidents. Did the women cause accidents because they were experiencing nausea? Like every road user, pregnant women must also be cautious and obey the rules of the road," a gynaecologist said.

Source: The Times via I-net Bridge