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Study: Some Car Booster Seats Not a Good Fit

Car booster seats should properly position child passengers so that safety belts intended for adults can provide adequate restraint in a car accident. But a number of booster seats on the market don't do an adequate job of improving the fit of lap and shoulder belts, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The IIHS study -- conducted with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute -- did not focus on crash protection, but evaluated 41 popular car booster seats based on the safety belt fit they provided. In a News Release issued Wednesday, IIHS President Adrian Lund stated "We'd expect the 10 best bets to improve belt fit for children in almost any car, minivan, or SUV. . . Likewise, it's clear that kids in the 13 boosters we don't recommend aren't getting the full benefit of improved lap belt fit. These boosters may increase restraint use by making children more comfortable, but they don't position belts for optimal protection." See the complete IIHS Evaluations of Child Booster Seats: Best Bets | Good Bets | Not Recommended.

• IIHS News Release on the Booster Seat Study
• IIHS Evaluations of Child Booster Seats: Best Bets | Good Bets | Not Recommended
• Read the Full Study of Car Booster Seats [PDF file] (IIHS)
• Wall Street Journal: New Questions on Booster Seats
• ABC News: What Car Booster Seats are Effective?
• State-by-State Child Restraint/Belt Use Laws (IIHS)
• Safety Search: Vehicles and Equipment (FindLaw)
• Motor Vehicle Accidents (FindLaw)

Full post as published by FindLaw's Common Law on October 01, 2008 (boomark / email).