Securing Seatbelt Safety is a seatbelt adjustment tool that aims to improve the safety and comfort of those travelling in automobiles with a standard 3-point seatbelt system. Historically, seatbelt safety and crash testing have focused primarily on male passengers, with test dummies often representing the 50th percentile adult male during regulatory crash testing scenarios. Consequently, women have been found to be at 20% higher risk of dying in car crashes compared to men for matched crash conditions[HS1] . While this number is staggering, the consequences of automobile accident-induced trauma can be even more devastating for expectant mothers who risk injury and death of both themselves and their unborn child in the case of an automobile accident. Even though seatbelts are designed primarily for the average male, studies have routinely shown that for females and expectant mothers, seatbelts can significantly decrease the risk of injury or death if used correctly. The issue with this is that seatbelts are often ill-suited to pregnant passengers, with the lap belt riding up uncomfortably over the pregnant belly and resulting in many users not using their seatbelts in the recommended fashion.  Securing Seatbelt Safety aims to address the fundamental issues of practicality and comfort by providing a way to secure a standard lap belt in the recommended position without risk of it riding up during the duration of the automobile trip, and without further impairing the functionality of the seatbelt mechanism. This focus on improving the experience of pregnant women using seatbelts, as well as making proper seatbelt use more practical and convenient means that Securing Seatbelt Safety has the potential to not only improve the experience of pregnant automobile passengers, but also encourage proper seatbelt use and protect the lives of those traveling while expecting.

Securing Seatbelt Safety is a novel 3-D printed adjustment tool that can be used to keep the lap belt of a standard 3-point seatbelt fixed in the recommended position without need for constant readjustment. Although designed with the primary aim of reducing discomfort and addressing the need for better seatbelt solutions for pregnant passengers, the design of the part is modular and adjustable allowing it to be used in other cases, including motion sickness, in which an incorrectly positioned seatbelt can be not only dangerous, but also incredibly uncomfortable. The part consists of three 3-D printed pieces which can be manufactured through standard FDM printing methods using PLA; a seatbelt clip-on, adjustment band, and seat attachment.  The first piece, the seatbelt clip-on, slides over any standard regulated seatbelt lap strap, loops over the strap, and allows the belt to move seamlessly through the clip so as not to impair its functionality. The second piece, the adjustable band, serves primarily to adapt to users of differing heights and weights, as well as automobiles with different seat types or depths. This piece hooks on to the seatbelt clip-on and includes multiple hole that can be used to adjust the length of the full device when completely assembled. The final component, the seat attachment, hooks onto the adjustable band on one end, and under the passenger seat on the other, securing the device to the chair. Ultimately, the bottom of the seat attachment is fixed just below the passenger’s hip, and the seatbelt clip-on holds the lap belt securely across the user’s hips and under their belly. In this way, the add-on does not change the function of the seatbelt, it merely minimises the ability of the belt to ride up on the user’s body during the duration of use, possibly rising above the belly and into an unsafe position. The design contains no parts which must be permanently fixed or installed in a vehicle, and all components are lightweight and easily portable for use in multiple vehicles or passenger set-ups.

 [HS1]https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10861033/