re: The First Look at Booster Seats Shows - Unlucky 13 Fail

Sally — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:39:04 GMT

Lets be clear on what this study does and doesn't do. It is not the first ever test of review of child booster seats. Each booster seat on the market is tested to ensure they meet FMVSS 213 standards. Also, they study only measured how seat belts fit on a six-year-old-child-size dummy and they did not takes into account how well the seats perform in a crash. Every booster car seat fits children differently because each child grows at different rates.

Finally, the 13 seats picked out by IIHS ARE SAFE. The only thing the study shows is that on a 6-year-old-child-size dummy the lap and shoulder belts are not positioned properly on these seats. ONLY the parent can determine if a car booster seat fits - and plenty of kids might not fit the IIHS' recommended car seats. How do you check this? Have your kid sit up tall with their back straight against the booster car seat. Buckle the safety belt. Does the lap belt fall accross the child's upper thighs? Does the shoulder belt position at mid-shoulder so that the load is on the sternum? If you said yes to both of these, then they booster fits.

You should read the JPMA's response to this before sending your readers into a panic.