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Improving the Driving Safety of Pregnant Occupants Is Focus of New Consortium Being Developed By Transportation Research Center

Initiative to protect pregnant occupants and their unborn children seeks input from industry, academia, government, nonprofit organizations and safety advocates.

EAST LIBERTY, OH – Improving safety outcomes for pregnant occupants involved in motor vehicle crashes is the focus of a new consortium being developed by the Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC), North America’s foremost independent mobility testing and research organization. 

Motor vehicle crashes remain one of the leading causes of traumatic injury and fetal loss during pregnancy, with an estimated 90,000 pregnancies exposed to crashes in the United States each year. What’s more, significant gaps remain in understanding critical factors in pregnant occupant protection, such as maternal and fetal injury mechanisms, seat belt and airbag interaction, evaluation tools, and real-world crash outcomes. 

TRC’s Consortium for Advancing Pregnant Occupant Safety (CAPOS) is being designed as a member-driven research framework designed to bring together vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, academic researchers, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups. Advancing pregnant occupant crash safety outcomes is the goal as CAPOS collaboratively develops a foundation of information. 

“Mobility safety research is fundamentally about protecting people, and further advancing the safety of pregnant occupants and their unborn children represents one of the most meaningful opportunities to make a lasting impact” said Brett Roubinek, President and CEO of Transportation Research Center 

Studying maternal and fetal injury mechanisms in real-world crashes; developing and validating new tools and test methods for evaluating pregnant occupant injury risk; and assessing seatbelt fit, seatbelt routing, airbag interaction, and aftermarket comfort products are among potential research areas for CAPOS. These efforts are driven by the limited yet important evidence that proper restraint use can significantly reduce the risk of placental abruption, preterm birth, low birth weight, and fetal death. 

Transportation Research Center Inc. would serve as consortium manager, facilitating operations, purchasing, and project management. Participating members would set the research agenda and select projects and review results, while qualified research institutions would have opportunities to propose, bid on, and execute technical projects. 

"Protecting pregnant vehicle occupants is a challenge that no single organization can solve alone," said Michelle Fowler, Director of Applied Research at Transportation Research Center Inc.   

"Our goal with CAPOS is to bring together experts from across industry, academia, government, healthcare, and advocacy organizations to identify the most important research gaps and collaboratively develop the science needed to improve maternal and fetal safety in motor vehicle crashes.  We're excited to hear from the community as we shape this initiative together." 

Managing collaborative safety research initiatives is a priority for TRC. In 2020, the organization established the Research Consortium for Crashworthiness in Automated Driving Systems (RCCADS) and continues to serve as the consortium manager. RCCADS brings together automakers, component suppliers, government, and academia to support data-driven research focused on occupant protection and crashworthiness for vehicles equipped with automated driving systems. The pregnant occupant safety initiative is being developed in a similar collaborative spirit, with stakeholders identifying research gaps, guiding priorities and supporting technical work. 

TRC’s Applied Research team is currently seeking feedback from potential participants, collaborators, and advisors on the scope, structure, and research priorities for the consortium. The effort is expected to continue outreach and development activities through 2026, with a targeted official launch in January 2027. 

Organizations and individuals interested in providing feedback or learning more about potential participation may contact Michelle Fowler at FowlerM@trcpg.com or complete the research survey.