Having every passenger and driver wear a seat belt is required by law. However, there are exceptions to this issue. One says pregnant women. Should they take advantage of this, or is it a better idea to wear a seatbelt after all?
Who is exempt from the use of seat belts is determined, among other things, by Article 39, paragraph 2 of the Law of June 20, 1997 “Traffic Law”. It says that a woman who is visibly pregnant is not required to wear a seat belt while driving as a driver or passenger. Who else is not required to wear a seat belt?
For example, cab drivers, driving instructors and examiners, or police officers and other services who are involved in transporting detained persons are exempt from wearing seat belts. Also not to be forgotten are medical teams that provide assistance in an ambulance while driving.
First of all, it is important to remember that in the first months of pregnancy it is necessary, because then it is not yet visible. It is the visibility of the pregnancy that is recognized in the law as a reason to dispense with seat belts. It is not rigidly defined, and whether a woman is visibly pregnant is determined by the officer who made the stop.
However, the provision in the law itself is not an encouragement for visibly pregnant women to drive without wearing a seat belt, but only gives them the option to do so. Despite the presence of these provisions, many experts still recommend that women, even when visibly pregnant, ride with their seat belts fastened, whether as a passenger or as a driver.
First of all, it is important to remember that driving with belts will be much safer for both the woman and the baby. However, these cannot be ordinary seat belts, as these could overlap the abdomen, which would also endanger the baby in case of an accident. A special adapter will be needed.
After using a special adapter, which makes the seatbelt bassinet settle on the hips and upper legs instead of the abdomen, thus not endangering the baby in case of an accident, women can safely travel with the seatbelt fastened and thus take care of their health and that of their baby as much as possible.
main photo: pixabay.com/Beccalee
