2026-09-19T11:40:25Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1328042025-10-30T17:03:45Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Maria Yang.
Briones Panadero, Helena.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Integrated Design and Management Program.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering and Management Program.
System Design and Management Program.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Integrated Design and Management Program
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering and Management Program
2021-10-08T16:48:08Z
2021-10-08T16:48:08Z
2020
2020
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/132804
1262987803
Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, May, 2020
Cataloged from the official version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 74-77).
Current vehicle seat belts are not tested for performance with pregnant women and greatly ignore the damage that can be caused to an unborn baby. In fact, the automotive seat belt has undergone almost no change since it was first patented in 1958. The forces from the seat belt against an expectant mother's abdomen leads to the tearing of the placenta (known as placenta-abrupto) causing fetal demise. According to a study on Fetal Deaths Related to Maternal Injury, it was concluded that "motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fetal deaths related to maternal trauma" (H. B. Weiss et al., 2001). This thesis analyses the invention of the car seatbelt and the evolution of its engineering, the data that some studies have provided in regards to pregnancy and the use of the automobile and the causes of injuries and death of the unborn babies due to the design of the safety measures. The outcome of this work is a compilation of data through interviews and surveys of pregnant women, doctors and specialists and a proposal for an updated design of the current seatbelt that is nowadays being used worldwide to minimize the risk of injuries during pregnancy. The analysis of the data is integrated in a proposal of improvement for the current design and future steps to be taken in order to enhance the material structure of the three-point seatbelt design.
by Helena Briones Panadero.
S.M. in Engineering and Management
S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program
77 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Integrated Design and Management Program.
Engineering and Management Program.
System Design and Management Program.
Analysis of the design of a car seatbelt : a study of the invention and a proposal to minimize the risk of injuries during pregnancy
Thesis
application/pdf
2021-10-08T16:48:08Z
Publication
Master
SysDes
unknown
unknown
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<Abstract>Current vehicle seat belts are not tested for performance with pregnant women and greatly ignore the damage that can be caused to an unborn baby. In fact, the automotive seat belt has undergone almost no change since it was first patented in 1958. The forces from the seat belt against an expectant mother's abdomen leads to the tearing of the placenta (known as placenta-abrupto) causing fetal demise. According to a study on Fetal Deaths Related to Maternal Injury, it was concluded that "motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fetal deaths related to maternal trauma" (H. B. Weiss et al., 2001). This thesis analyses the invention of the car seatbelt and the evolution of its engineering, the data that some studies have provided in regards to pregnancy and the use of the automobile and the causes of injuries and death of the unborn babies due to the design of the safety measures. The outcome of this work is a compilation of data through interviews and surveys of pregnant women, doctors and specialists and a proposal for an updated design of the current seatbelt that is nowadays being used worldwide to minimize the risk of injuries during pregnancy. The analysis of the data is integrated in a proposal of improvement for the current design and future steps to be taken in order to enhance the material structure of the three-point seatbelt design.</Abstract>
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