As a parent, your child’s safety is arguably the most important thing you could think of. Natalie Bell seems to share the same sentiment.
The Australian mother of five worried about what might happen should she get into an accident with her daughter who has special health needs, so she created a seatbelt cover that can alert emergency personnel and doctors to those needs.
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Bell’s daughter, who is deaf, has a cochlear implant and is unable to have an MRI.
“I always wonder what would happen if I was in a car accident with my daughter in the car and I was unable to let the doctors know that my daughter could not have a MRI,” she said in a Facebook post.
With the seatbelt cover, she said she doesn’t worry as much.
The cover Bell’s daughter wears says, “I AM DEAF. I HAVE A COCHLEAR IMPLANT. NO MRI.”
Here’s the great news: These seatbelt covers can be personalized for any special needs or disabilities a medical team should know about that a parent can't tell them.
Anyone of any age can use one. Bell has created seatbelt covers for people with autism, epilepsy, Down syndrome and more.
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If you’ve thought, “Aren’t there medical bracelets that can do the same thing?” you aren’t the only one. But for a parent with a child who may need special medical needs, the extra red flag to alert emergency services may be a bit more of a comfort.
“Those are quite small. So I thought this is something emergency services would notice straight away," Bell said.
Dr. Frank McGeorge, an emergency room doctor, said the medic alert bracelet is still the way to go, but admitted "more information is always helpful."
The personalized seatbelt covers are $15.