This paper reports a study on the perception of expectant mothers on comfort, ease of use and safety of the existing automotive seat belt. The study was performed through interview and survey on medical doctors and patients in three maternity clinics in the country. Results from the survey showed that the majority of the respondents feel uncomfortable when using seat belts especially at the abdomen and chest parts. 52% of the respondents feel insecure as to whether the seat belt can protect them and their fetus during minor jerking. For that reason, 75% of the respondents agree that the seat belt need to be redesigned for comfort and safety. Based on the findings, design modifications were performed on the existing seat belt, taking into consideration ease of use, comfort and safety. Modifications to the seat belt include improving webbing width and thickness, incorporating a retracting system that provides comfort to the users and an elastic buckler for maintaining the belt position to be below the abdomen. For validation purposes, the maximum stress and deformation of the new seat belt design were analysed and found satisfactory.
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