speed bumps a risk to pregnant women, study finds

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sudden movements can be risky for pregnant women, causing minor injuries to the fetal brain, an abnormal fetal heart rate, and abdominal pain.

by dave yasvinski

published apr 14, 2021

last updated feb 21, 2025

3 minute read

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3 minute read

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speed bumps a risk to pregnant women, study finds

increasing a vehicle’s speed over speed bumps can be a risky move for pregnant women and lead to a host of issues. getty

if you have a baby bump, you may want to be careful about speed bumps, according to a university of british columbia researcher who recommends slowing your roll when approaching the traffic calming devices.

the study, published in the journal of biometrics, found that increasing a vehicle’s speed over speed bumps can be a risky move for pregnant women and lead to a host of issues, including minor injuries to the fetal brain, an abnormal fetal heart rate, abdominal pain and uterine contractions, among other complications.

“there is lots of research about the importance of movement for women during pregnancy,” said hadi mohammadi, one of the authors of the study and an associate professor of mechanical engineering at ubc okanagan. “our latest research looked specifically at the impacts of sudden acceleration on a pregnant woman.”

the study, which combined modelling data from crash tests with the fundamental dynamic behaviours of a pregnant uterus, also explored the effect of the vibrations of a vehicle on a woman in the third trimester of pregnancy. all occupants of a car are exposed to relatively large forces during the course of travel but there are added implications when there is an unborn baby onboard. researchers considered the risks vehicle speed and speed bump size present and the amount of pressure these variables may place on the amniotic fluid that keeps the fetus safe.

“we took all these factors into account to ensure a comprehensive differential model that mirrors real-world responses and interactions of the woman and fetus,” said mohammadi.

researchers concluded the threat to fetal health was sufficient enough to recommend that drivers with a pregnant passenger onboard reduce their speed accordingly.

“considering a typical speed-bump of width and excitation amplitude of 0.5 m and 0.12 m, respectively, the driver should not hit the speed-bump at 42 km/h or more,” the study concluded. “we advise hitting such speed bumps under 25 km/h, based on this paper’s findings.”

motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of fetal death related to maternal trauma, according to a study in the canadian medical association journal that highlights the unique risks pregnant women face anytime they are on the road.

“the outcomes for survivors are also concerning, given that brain injury in early life can contribute to neurologic deficits in later life,” the study said. “emergency care of an injured pregnant woman is further problematic because the physiologic changes of pregnancy can mask the usual signs of acute blood loss (e.g., tachycardia, hypotension), resuscitation science is incomplete (e.g., clinical trials usually exclude pregnant women) and trauma protocols need adjustment (e.g., iodine contrast radiography can potentially harm a fetus).

“even rudimentary care such as analgesia can be complicated when a pregnant woman is involved. every crash creates worry and potential future litigation that might have been avoided if the crash had been prevented.”

mohammadi said he hopes his research will be used to gain a better understanding of all the forces — and risks — at play on an unborn child in a moving vehicle and lead to vehicular improvements that allow for safer journeys for everyone making the trip.

“obviously, there are other variables at play when a driver approaches a speed bump, but we hope our findings provide some evidence-based guidance to keep drivers and their occupants literally and figuratively safe.”

dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca

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