Booster seats - Some brands not as safe as others
Categories: Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Health & safety
When I bought both of my daughter's car seats, I did so with the idea in mind that eventually, they would use them as boosters. Silly me. Both came with good safety ratings, sure, but earlier this month, both appeared on the "not recommended" list of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's review of booster seats. The group recently tested 41belt-positioning booster seats. Thirteen (my two included) did a poor job of improving fit at the lap and shoulder, increasing the chance of injury in a car accident. The IIHS shows parents how a belt should fit here, and also gives an example of a poorly fitting belt. The idea is that the lap belt should fit flat against the top of the thighs, not across the soft abdomen.
The IIHS is calling for the 13 seats that didn't past the test to be redesigned. The good news is that the best booster seats are not the most expensive. In fact, my mom just bought a Graco Turbobooster (the backless model is a recommended seat) for about $19 for her own car. If you, like me, are in the market for a new booster seat, visit the IIHS's website to see their best bets and good bets, as well as those seats that are not recommended.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Momma 10-06-2008 @ 10:25AM
I'm wondering why the backless TurboBooster is on the "best" list and the backed TurboBooster is only on the "good" list? Any idea?
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Tash 10-06-2008 @ 10:34AM
BEST: "most likely to position lap and shoulder belts correctly"
GOOD: "acceptable lap and shoulder belt fit in almost as many vehicle belt configurations as the best-bet boosters"
That says to me that the best ones "position/fit correctly" versus being an "acceptable fit."
When in doubt - have your local police/fire department check the fit.
Persephone 10-06-2008 @ 2:40PM
Probably because the strap that comes from the backless version to hold the shoulder belt can be adjusted to any height while the back on the high back version only has a few settings which might not fit perfectly if the child is exactly between them. However, high back boosters provide a bit of side impact protection which backless boosters do not - this study does address everything.
What is most important is if the booster fits your uniquely shaped child properly, not so much how it fits a standard sized crash test dummy.
Persephone 10-06-2008 @ 2:46PM
The example/description of how a seat should fit is the most important part of this story. Kids come in all shape and sizes, and they don't always match the proportions of the crash test dummy very well. Not all the boosters on the best list work well for all kids, while some of the ones on the worst list might be the best fit for a particular child. Try out a booster and see how it fits a particular child before deciding if it is good or bad.
Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure that the place the shoulder belt passes through is large enough that the belt slides freely and won't get hung up (even if twisted, though it shouldn't be twisted) if the child leans forward a bit and then fail to retract completely. High back boosters also offer a bit of side impact protection that low back boosters do not, but this study does not seem to take that into account in their recommendations.
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