Booster Seats In Older Children

     Car accidents are the third leading cause of death in children between 1 and 18 years of age. Most parents are careful to always use an appropriate car seat for infants and children less than 4 and all 50 states have enacted legislation requiring car seats for this age group. Statistics show a dramatic decrease in death and injury from motor vehicle accidents in infants to 4 year-olds. However, even though booster seats for children between ages 4 and 8 are highly effective in preventing injury and death in car accidents, parents are much less careful about using booster seats. These children are often simply buckled in with adult seat belts.  A study done in 2008 reported that less than half of children ages 4-5 and about a third of children ages 6-7 were placed in booster seats.

     A study published in the December 2012 issue of Pediatrics looked at the fatality rates of children between ages 4 and 7 in states that have laws requiring booster seats for older children versus states that do not. They found that states that had laws requiring booster seats for older children had lower car accident fatality rates in this age group and this was especially true in the older children.

   The message is clear to parents: when your child outgrows his car seat, you need to use a booster seat until he is up to a height of 4 feet 9 inches. Putting a smaller child in a regular seat with an adult seat belt is dangerous. Always use a booster seat for children ages 4 to 8 until they are tall enough to safely use the regular adult seatbelt alone. It would also be good for everyone concerned with children’s safety to advocate for state legislation requiring booster seats in older children.