UBCO engineer cautions pregnant women about speed bumps

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uobc-uec041321.php

 

 News Release 13-Apr-2021
The slower the better while driving over them, says researcher
University of British Columbia Okanagan campus

 

Slow down. Baby on board.

So says UBC Okanagan researcher and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Hadi Mohammadi. His new research, conducted in collaboration with Sharif University of Technology, determines that accelerating over speed bumps poses a danger for pregnant women and their fetuses.

"There is lots of research about the importance of movement for women during pregnancy," explains Mohammadi, who teaches in the School of Engineering. "Our latest research looked specifically at the impacts of sudden acceleration on a pregnant woman."

Using new modelling based on data from crash tests and fundamental dynamic behaviours of a pregnant woman, Mohammadi and his co-authors found that accelerating over speedbumps raises concern. If driven over quickly, they caution this can lead to minor injuries to the fetal brain, cause an abnormal fetal heart rate, abdominal pain, uterine contraction, increasing uterine activity and further complications.

Occupants in a vehicle, especially pregnant women, are subjected to relatively large forces suddenly and over a short period when a vehicle accelerates over a speedbump, he explains. 

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In fact, they advise slowing a vehicle to less than 45 km/h [28mph]when hitting a speedbump, and preferably as low as 25km/h [15 mph] to reduce risk to the fetus.

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