Safe Kids Clark County News Articles

Written on Sunday, October 12th, 2008


IIHS and UMTRI Report on Booster Seats

On October 1, 2008, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute published their findings of a study conducted on belt positioning booster seat fit on children. They did not do crash testing on the boosters; rather, they looked at the position of the seat belt on a boostered 6 year old Hybrid III crash test dummy which represents the average size of a 6 year old child. They looked at how the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt fit the dummy while it was seated in the booster and how the shoulder portion of the lap/shoulder belt fit the dummy while it was seated in the booster. They evaluated 41 booster seats and determined that 13 fit the dummy so poorly that they couldn’t recommend them for use. To see the report, you can download a .pdf version of it.

What does this mean for the parent/caregiver who has one of the “bad” boosters? What should a parent/caregiver look for when purchasing a new booster? The first thing to remember is that not every booster is going to fit every vehicle or every child the same way. Good booster fit has the lap portion of the seat belt riding low across the hips, touching the thighs. The shoulder belt crosses the midpoint of the shoulder and is neither touching the neck nor falling off the shoulder. Your child may fit in one of the “bad” boosters quite well, but you must make that assessment. If you are unsure, please visit one of our checkup events.

You can read the Safe Kids USA response to the report here. Remember, a child won’t fit an adult seat belt until around age 9-10, or when he passes the 5-Step Test, so belt positioning booster seats are very important for safety. Always use booster seats in the back seat. Kids under age 13 should always ride in the back seat.

5-Step Test

    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?