IIHS Says 13 Child Booster Seats Are Unsafe
Car booster seats are a parents worst nightmare. You either can’t get your child buckled in properly or the seat isn’t installed the right way. Worse, is news that booster seats don’t do as they’re designed to perform — elevate children so that safety belts 
designed for adults are in the right position to restrain kids during a crash.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute recently tested 41 belt-positioning booster seats, and found that 13 did such a poor job of improving the fit of lap and shoulder belts for children that the IIHS doesn’t recommend them at all.
15 Models Meet IIHS Requirements
Ten booster seats were selected as best bets, while five managed to labeled good bets by the Institute. These evaluations are the first to tell consumers how well boosters sold by US retailers improve belt fit for children in cars, minivans, and SUVs. As a result of their findings, the IIHS plans to continue these assessments.
“We evaluated the safety belt fit boosters provide, not crash protection,” says Institute president Adrian Lund. “This is because unlike child restraints, boosters don’t restrain children in crashes. They simply position children so lap and shoulder belts are in the right place to restrain them.” Good boosters route belts across a child’s bony parts, not soft parts like the abdomen, which is more vulnerable to injury.
“We’d expect the 10 best bets to improve belt fit for children in almost any car, minivan, or SUV,” Lund says. “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.”
What The University of Michigan Team Discovered
A research team from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute assessed two types of boosters — backless and highback — under conditions representing a range of 2001-06 model vehicles. Some highbacks convert to backless, and some boosters, called combination seats, can be used as child restraints.
Highback and backless modes were evaluated separately because each mode affects how belts fit, with additional importance given to lap belt fit. All of the best-bet boosters locate this belt on children’s upper thighs. The main problem for the boosters that aren’t recommended is they leave the lap belt partially or fully on the abdomen. Fit is important because a correctly positioned lap belt loads pelvic bones during a crash, not the abdomen. A good booster also positions the shoulder belt at mid-shoulder, keeping the webbing away from the neck so it won’t chafe and reducing the likelihood that kids will endanger themselves by putting the belt behind their back or under an arm.
Not Recommended By The IIHS
The following booster seats were not recommended by the IIHS and should be on every parent’s list of seats to avoid:
- Highback Compass B505
- Compass B510
- Cosco/Dorel Traveler
- Evenflo Big Kid Confidence
- Backless Safety Angel Ride Ryte
- Combination Cosco/Dorel Alpha Omega
- Cosco/Dorel (Eddie Bauer) Summit
- Cosco Highback Booster
- Dorel/Safety 1st (Eddie Bauer) Prospect
- Evenflo Chase Comfort Touch
- Evenflo Generations
- Graco CarGo Zephyr
- Safety 1st/Dorel Intera
The following list of ten booster seats made the IIHS’ “best bet” list:
- Combi Kobuk
- Fisher-Price Safe Voyage
- Graco TurboBooster
- Britax Monarch
- Britax Parkway
- Fisher-Price Safe Voyage
- LaRoche Bros. Teddy Bear
- Recaro Young Style
- Volvo Booster cushion
- Safeguard Go (when used as backless only)
“Boosters that provide better belt fit aren’t necessarily the priciest,” notes Anne McCartt, Institute senior vice president for research. “Parents don’t have to spend a lot of money for a best bet or good bet booster.” The highback Graco Turbo-Booster, for example, converts to a backless booster and retails for about $50. The backless-only version sells for about $20.
For more information about which seats were considered “good bets” by the Institute and for tips on how to install a booster seat properly, please visit the IIHS website for those details.
(Source: IIHS)
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