Booster Seats Save Lives

Using a carseat for your child under 4 is pretty much a no-brainer, but how do we protect our children over 4 who are still too small to use standard seatbelts? In the past booster seats were considered no more than a convenience, but a study in JAMA now shows that booster seats reduce injury in accidents by about 60%.

Booster seats reduce injury by 60%

Using a standard seatbelt, even with the shoulder strap pulled behind, can lead to severe spinal and abdominal injuries in a child under 4 feet and 9 inches (the recommended height for booster seats), in an accident.

Car seats are recommended for all children under 40 pounds or 40 inches. After that a booster seat is recommended until the child is taller than 4 feet and 9 inches, which is around 8 years old on average. Both car seats and booster seats should be placed in the back seat of the car, since it is well shown that children survive crashes better if they are in the back seat. This is true even if the front seat has air bags, since the air bag itself can kill a child.

"High back" or "no back" booster seats are both effective.

Cincinnati Childrens Hospital has devised a great poster which shows how tall a child must be to use a standard seat belt (4 feet and 9 inches).