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Associated Press - December 25, 2009 10:55 AM ET
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Researchers and automobile designers are looking for ways to reduce fetal deaths by making automobile travel safer for expectant mothers.
Researchers at the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences are working to develop a computer-aided model of pregnant drivers and passengers so they can develop better crash protection systems.
There are no official statistics on the number of fetal deaths due to vehicle accidents, but Stefan Duma, who heads the Blacksburg program, says the estimates range from 300 to several thousand per year.
By understanding how injuries occur, researchers can developer safer restraint systems in future vehicle designs.
The Virginia Tech project is being partly funded by Ford.
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