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Parents Need a
“Booster” on Booster Seat Safety
Many parents may be confused about how to use a
booster seat and whether their kid should be riding
in one. According to a series of snap polls
conducted by Autobytel during National Child
Passenger Safety Week, only 37% of parents felt
confident that their boosters were properly
installed. Over 40% were either mistaken or unsure
how to tell if a child was ready to move from a
booster seat to a safety belt. Throw in the alarming
fact that an estimated 73% of kids who should be
riding in boosters are not; it quickly becomes clear
that parents are in serious need of a “booster” on
booster seat safety to keep from putting kids at
serious risk in an automobile accident.
With this in mind, Autobytel has launched its new
“Booster Seat Safety Center” on their homepage,
www.autobytel.com
. This site features in-depth booster seat
instruction and advice from Alisa Baer - a.k.a. “The
Car Seat Lady”. Alisa, an NYU medical student and
nationally recognized car-seat expert, has been
featured in The New Yorker and made appearances on
MSNBC and Fox News. Autobytel’s new site utilizes
scientific research to answer parents most pressing
booster seat questions including proper
installation, usage, and positioning. As well, the
site offers a short quiz to help parents know if
their child is ready to graduate from a booster seat
to a safety belt.
Visit the Autobytel web site for more in-depth
booster seat safety information.
10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BOOSTER SEAT SAFETY
Presented by Autobytel.com and Alisa Baer
(a.k.a. “The Car Seat Lady”)
4- to 8-year-old kids are MUCH safer riding in a
booster. A 2003 study found that 4-8 year olds
riding in boosters are 59% less likely to be
seriously injured in a crash than those wearing
safety belts alone.
73% of kids who NEED a booster seat to ride safely
are NOT in boosters. Most kids between the ages of
4-8 should be riding in boosters. Yet while 78% of
4-year-olds use booster seats, the number drops to
65% of 5-year-olds, 43% of 6-year-olds, and 21% of
7-year-olds. Only 11% of 8-year-olds are still
riding in booster seats. The result? The motor
vehicle occupant death rate for 5- to 9-year-olds
has changed little in the past decade, while deaths
among other younger child age groups have greatly
declined. 63% of the kids who died in car accidents
were unrestrained, while most of the remaining 37%
were inappropriately restrained using safety belts
instead of boosters.
It is absolutely crucial to use a booster on EVERY
trip, even ones where you’re not going very far or
very fast. Studies show this is actually when you
are MOST likely to be involved in a crash.
For children over 40 pounds, their weight is
irrelevant to whether or not they need a booster
seat. How they fit on the vehicle seat and how the
safety belt fits on their body are what matters.
These variables depend more on the vehicle and the
child’s height than anything else. The best way to
gauge whether your child still needs a booster is to
take the excellent 5-step-test from SafetyBeltSafe
USA. (Notice there is no mention of weight, height,
or age in the test questions).
The 5-Step Test ©SafetyBeltSafe USA:
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the
auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge
of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck
and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the
thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole
trip?
If you answered "no" to ANY of these questions, your
child still needs a booster seat, regardless of age
or weight, to make sure that both the shoulder and
the lap belts fit correctly for the best possible
crash protection. NOTE: It is important, however, to
make sure your child weighs less than the maximum
weight on your booster. This is usually 80-100
pounds, although some seats have significantly lower
limits.
A booster seat is very easy to use. Just place the
booster on the vehicle seat, have the child sit on
the booster seat, then buckle the child using the
vehicle’s shoulder and lap belt. Make sure that the
lap belt rests on the tops of the child’s legs, and
that the shoulder belt crosses the child’s chest
between the neck and shoulder. If your booster has
armrests, the lap belt should pass underneath them.
If your child’s booster has a guide for the shoulder
belt that allows the belt to retract freely, place
the shoulder belt in this guide. If the booster has
a guide for the shoulder belt that holds the belt
firmly, i.e. - it doesn’t let the slack out of the
retractable shoulder belt mechanism, don’t use this
guide, unless the shoulder belt is otherwise
improperly positioned on the child.
Booster seats ARE SAFE, even though they may seem
less secure than child restraints. Booster seats are
designed to work very differently from child
restraints that have their own harness straps. A
booster seat doesn’t restrain the child. Instead
keeps the safety belt positioned so it can work
properly in the event of a crash or abrupt stop,
positioning the belt over the strong bones: the
collar bone (clavicle), chest bone (sternum), and
hip bones (pelvis).
State laws governing booster seat usage rarely
coincide with the safest booster seat practices.
Your state law might specify that kids over 4 don’t
need a booster. The state where your parents live
might say that kids over 6 don’t need a booster. But
of course when you cross state lines, kids don’t
change and neither do the laws of physics. The
safest approach, once again, is to take the ©SafetyBeltSafe
USA’s 5-step test (see above). This will let you
know if your child is safe to ride without a booster
seat, no matter in which state they live.
Kids actually like boosters. Generally speaking, a
booster seat provides a more enjoyable riding
experience for kids. They can ride comfortably
because they don’t have to slouch to allow their
knees to bend. They can also look out of the window
more easily. Many booster models even have cup
holders to store toys/drinks. As well, high-back
versions give kids a place to rest their heads when
they want to take a nap in the car.
A higher price does not necessarily equal a safer or
better fitting seat. Most backless boosters cost
$15-25. Many excellent high-back boosters only cost
$25-50. The bottom line: You don’t need to break the
bank to make a sound investment in your child’s
safety.
Kids NEED upper body restraint! It is EXTREMELY
dangerous to put the shoulder belt behind the back
or under the arm is. As well, using only a lap belt
is MUCH less safe than using a shoulder/lap belt.
Many parents worry that the shoulder belt rubbing
the child‚s neck might be dangerous. They feel it
could lead to spinal cord injury or even
decapitation in a crash. These fears are completely
unfounded. There is little, if any, evidence in the
literature of cervical spine (neck) injuries
resulting from poor positioning of the shoulder belt
near the child’s neck in situations where the
child‚s head does not strike anything in the
vehicle. A shoulder belt that touches the side of
the neck is also not likely to cause injury unless
the belt is very loose.
For Autobytel’s in-depth booster seat safety
information and resources, visit
http://www.autobytel.com/content/research/channels/index.cfm/channel/Safety%20Advice/Megablurb/123
Resources:
Durbin DR, Elliott MR, Winston FK.; Belt-positioning
Booster Seats and Reduction in Risk of Injury Among
Children in Vehicle Crashes. JAMA. 2003 Jun 4;
289(21): 2835-40. PMID 12783914
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/booster_seat/National_Strategy/section1.htm
Slavik D., Cervical Distraction Injuries to
Children. Society of Automotive Engineers; 1997.
Paper 973306
Weber K., Crash Protection for Child Passengers: A
Review of Best Practice. UMTRI Research Review. 2000
July-Sept: 31(3): 1-28. |
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