Booster seats can keep a child safe in a car crash, which is why many states have passed regulations requiring them for children up to 8 years old or 80 pounds. The purpose of the booster seat is simply to make the seat belt fit the child, protecting against paralysis and other serious injuries that occur whenever a child's body is whiplashed in a crash. This can occur when the shoulder strap (which provides vital upper body support) is either behind them or riding too high across the neck, rather than the child’s mid section. Yet a new study by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety finds many booster seats fail miserably at their soul purpose: positioning the seat belt properly across the child’s body.
The latest test found that half of all booster seats do not deliver a proper fit with all safety belts from different vehicles. They found 6 in particular that were especially bad:
Evenflo Brand
1. Chase model
2. Express model
3. Generation 65 model
4. Siteseer model
Dorell's Safety 1st Brand:
5. Safety First All-in-One model
6. Alpha Omega model
If you are currently using any of the above models, it is recommended you switch safety seats for your child to a higher rated model. The study gave high ratings to Harmondy Juvenile Products, who’s models of car seats all rated as "best bets." Britax Frontier 85 also scored highly. You can check the IIHS's website for more details.
