Misuse Patterns: Booster Seats and Safety Belts

Children under 40 pounds receive better protection from a child restraint with a 5-point-harness than a booster seat.^1,2 Unfortunately, 29% of 3 year olds (who weigh less than 40 pounds) are inappropriately graduated to a booster seat.

The misuse rate for boosters is at least 20-28%^3,4 with improper routing of the vehicle belt being the most common problem.

Common Mistakes

• shoulder belt incorrectly positioned
• child inappropriate height/weight for booster
• lap-only belt used for booster
• vehicle seat belt routed incorrectly

The other biggest source of misuse is simply non-use – i.e. kids who should be in a booster using just a safety belt, or worse yet riding completely unrestrained.

• 73% of kids who NEED a booster seat to ride safely are NOT in boosters
• While 78% of 4 year olds use booster seats, the number drops to 65% of 5’s, 43% of 6’s, 21% of 7’s, and a measly 11% of 8-year-olds.
• The motor vehicle occupant death rate for 5 to 9 year olds has changed little in the past decade, while deaths among other child age groups have greatly decline. 63% of kids who died were unrestrained. The remaining 31% were largely inappropriately restrained using safety belts instead of boosters.⁵
  
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