Drinking and driving do not make a good combination but it appears that increased risks for car accidents apply to pregnant women as well. Findings of a new study suggest that women are likely to have car accidents when driving while they are expecting than before and after they got pregnant.
For the new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) May 12, Donald Redelmeier, director of the Clinical Epidemiology Unit of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Canada, and colleagues examined the medical records of over 500 mothers who gave birth between 2006 to 2011 to see how often they got involved in serious car crashes three years prior to their pregnancy, during their pregnancy and one year after they gave birth.
The researchers found that the vehicle accident rate of the women were 4.55 per 1,000 per year before they got pregnant but this increased by about 42 percent or 6.47 traffic accidents per 1000 when they got pregnant. Risks for car accident have notably soared beginning the second trimester of pregnancy as the car accident rate jumped to 7.66 per 1,000, suggesting that the period is the most dangerous time for pregnant women to get behind the wheel.
"Pregnancy is associated with a substantial risk of a serious motor vehicle crash during the second trimester. This risk merits attention for prenatal care," the researchers wrote.
It appears that the safest time for pregnant women to drive is during the last month of pregnancy as the researchers found that the rate of car crashes has dropped to 2.74 per 1,000 during the women's last weeks of pregnancy. One year after giving birth, the collision rate is down further more to 2.35 per 1000.
Redelmeier said that the increased risks for car accidents during pregnancy may be attributed to the changes that women go through during pregnancy. "A normal pregnancy is associated with fatigue, nausea, insomnia, anxiety and distraction," Redelmeier said. "All those changes could contribute to driver error."
Redelmeier said that their findings do not mean that pregnant women should stop driving. It does mean though that pregnant women should be aware of their increased risks which should prompt them to drive more carefully.
