Anyone in Syracuse who has tried interacting with pregnant women likely knows about “pregnancy brain.” Though not all women have trouble concentrating while pregnant, a number of women find it harder to think through things than when they weren’t pregnant. At least one author of a recent study thinks that may be why women in their second trimester of pregnancy are at a great risk of a car accident. If it is true that pregnancy brain is one of the major contributors to that increase in crashes, it is just further proof that distractions are dangerous behind the wheel.
We have talked quite extensively about how important it is to pay attention to the road. We have explained that distractions are not just caused by cellphones and smartphones, but by anything that takes the driver’s mind off of the road. It takes a considerable amount of brain power and concentration to drive safely, so the study’s author’s theory makes some sense that women with pregnancy brain are at greater risk of accident.
Granted, pregnant women are not choosing to be distracted, whereas individuals who eat, text, talk on the phone or put on makeup while driving are. The second group should know that their actions are putting people at risk, including themselves. While this study will hopefully encourage pregnant women in their second trimesters to drive more carefully, being pregnant may not be a sign of negligent driving like texting behind the wheel is.
Although driving may seem like second nature to many of us, even the most minor of distractions can keep a driver from operating his or her vehicle safely.
Source: USA Today, Study: Pregnant drivers may have more car crashes, Kim Painter, May 12, 2014
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