Child safety seat

Booster seat When child no longer fits in child safety seat but is not big enough for safety belt. Used with an adult lap and shoulder belt. Seat is not attached to the automobile. Should only be used in a seating position where there is a shoulder and lap belt. High-back seats and backless seats are good in most situations. If the back of the automobile seat or headrest is below the ears of the child, use a high-back booster. 

Crash data also reflect the very low use rates of booster seats. Durbin et al. (2005), analyzed restraint use by children in over 11,000 crashes in 15 U.S. states. They found that while over 80 percent of the 9-15 years old children used lap and shoulder belts, and 90 percent of the children under 4 years old were restrained in child safety seats, only 24 percent of the 4-8 years old children were using booster seats. 

At this height, which children typically reach when they are 10-11 years old, they outgrow the child safety seats (Bagioli, 2005 NHTSA, 2002). The problem seems to be centered on the proper use of the booster seats. Improper use is either premature graduation to booster seats or improper attachment and adjustment of the seat. One other related problem is premature graduation out of the booster seats. 

Given the relatively small added absolute benefit of booster seats over seat belts, it is not surprising that some studies fail to show that they have added benefits at all. Levitt (2005) analyzed all fatal crashes involving children in the U.S. in 1975-2003 and concluded that child safety seats, in actual practice, are no better than seat belts at reducing fatalities among children aged 2-6 . However, as Levitt himself noted, actual practice of use of safety (mostly booster) seats is not necessarily proper use of the seats, and benefits of booster seats that may not be evident in fatality data may show up in injury data, as demonstrated by the studies of Ehirbin and Winston. 

Biagioli, F. (2005). Child Safety Seat Counseling Three Keys to Safety. Am, Family Physic., 72(3), 473-478. 

Levitt, S. D. (2005). Evidence that Child Safety Seats are No More Effective than Seat Belts in Reducing Fatalities for Children aged Two and Up. University of Chicago Department of Economics, Initiative on Chicago Price Theory, and American Bar Foundation. July,... 

NHTSA (2002). Types of child safety seats. Report DOT HS 809 230. U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington DC. 

Restraints do not invite use. For almost two decades, I have been urging transportation and safety professionals to stop using the terms "occupant restraints" and "child restraints" for vehicle safety belts and child safety seats. These terms imply discomfort and lack of personal control and fail to convey these devices true function. "Seat belt" is better than "occupant restraint," but this popular term is not really adequate because it does not describe the function or appearance of today s lap-and-shoulder belts. We need to get into the habit of saying "safety belt" and "child safety device."... 

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