Booster Seats May Not Protect Your Precious Cargo

Child booster seats are required in almost all states; those that did not have current legislation as of June 2008 had legislation pending that would require their use. Though the requirements vary from state to state, legislation requires booster seats be used until a certain age, height, or weight, or some combination of the standards. The seats are supposed to bridge the gap for children too big for infant/toddler seats and too small for factory installed seatbelts to fit properly. The seats should position the child so that the seatbelts fit in the correct position to protect the wearer from injury during an accident.

A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, has raised concerns about boosters, showing that a number of booster seats don’t properly protect children in a crash and could even cause internal injuries. The study tested the performance of 41 booster seats with the results showing that 13 seats could not be recommended because of their poor performance. Of the remaining seats, 10 models were considered “best”, five other models were good, and the rest were rated as fair. Findings also showed that even a good booster seat which does not fit the child’s proportions and/or the vehicle design will not perform as expected. The seat should be test fitted for the user and the car model prior to purchase.

The booster seats rated highest by the study were the Fisher-Price Safe Voyage, The Britax Parkway (no longer available), the LaRoche Bros. Teddy Bear, the backless Graco Turbobooster, the backless Combi Kobuk and the Recaro Young Style. Seats that convert were tested in separate configurations and the Safeguard Go was among the “best” in its backless mode, the Volvo Booster and Britax Monarch were on the list in the high back version. According to Adrian Lund, president of the insurance group, any seat in this group should improve the seat-belt fit for children in nearly any vehicle.

The boosters not in the recommended group generally place the lap belt on the abdomen, which increases the risk of injury during an accident. Manufacturers of booster seats not on the recommended list say that their products “meet or exceed all regulations.” Safety experts say that the risk of injury to a child is diminished with the use of any booster seat, even the less effective models. Kristy Arbogast, director of engineering at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said, “What we don’t want to do is somehow make parents think that boosters don’t work, because they do.”

The price range of the seats tested varied widely and the prices did not necessarily reflect the performance. Parents should shop carefully to make sure that they buy the right seat for their child and vehicle. In certain states the legal age or size at which a child can stop using a booster seat may not be the right one for the child. Even though children may balk at using the seats “like babies” the parent has to assure that the child is tall enough to wear a seat belt properly before they are allowed to stop using a booster seat.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues ratings for child seats on its Web site: http://www.safercar.gov.