Abstract:

A wrap-type safety belt for pregnant occupants was developed to protect the pregnant occupant
and the fetus seated in the frontal passenger seat in a vehicle crash. This belt includes the femur belts and can
be used with traditional three-point belt. The finite element model for 30-week-pregnant uterus was established
and contrasted based on the uterus structure and injury mechanism of fetus.The validity of the model for the
pregnant occupant was also verified which includes this uterus model. The situations that the pregnant occupant
wears the belt or not were simulated under the frontal impact conditions at different impact speeds.The results
show that the wrap-type safety belt can reduce the uterine strain at the uterus placental interface (UPI) and the
possibility of placental abruption in a frontal impact event, but that the belt should be worn to fit the abdomen of
pregnant occupant with a slight clearance rather than very tightly.

Key words: vehicle collision, pregnant occupant, placental abruption, wrap-type pregnant safety belt