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BOOSTER SEATS |
Seat belts are designed for adults. Children over 40 pounds and under 4'9" tall are too small to fit into adult seat belts. Booster seats work by raising a child up so that the lap and shoulder belt are positioned safely. Booster seats are a simple solution that save lives and prevent injuries.
Booster seats protect children by raising them up so that the motor vehicle lap-and-shoulder belt fit correctly. Instead of the shoulder belt uncomfortably rubbing the child's face and neck, it is positioned properly across the middle of the shoulder and diagonally across the child's trunk.Instead of the lap belt riding dangerously up on the child's abdomen, a booster seat keeps the lap belt low across the hips.A child sitting in a booster seat can bend his knees comfortably so there is no need to slouch. If he sits up straight, the lap belt stays low on the hips in a safe position. Seat belts are not designed for children. Young children are too small for seat belts and too large for toddler seats. . The newer type of booster seat now also incorporates a back rest with side bolsters both for the body and head of the child, this gives improved impact protection for a child in an accident both frontal and side impact situations. |
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A booster seat raises your child up so that the seat belt fits correctly – thus giving your child more protection in an accident. The shoulder belt should cross the child's chest and rest snugly on the shoulder, and the lap belt should rest low across the pelvis or hip area—never across the stomach area as internal injuries can occur. Your child's ears shouldn't be higher than the vehicle's seat back cushion or the back of a high-back booster seat as no head / neck protection will be given and whiplash injuries are a possibility. Among safety experts, they are called the forgotten children. They're too big for child safety seats yet too small for adult seat belts. Yet every day, thousands of parents strap their four- to eight-year-olds into a seat belt designed for a 75kg man. The practice is perfectly legal — but it is potentially lethal.
There is no law in the UK that requires children to use booster seats when they outgrow their car seats yet but new legislation is. |
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