Chile booster seats-needed until 57" tall
When my son turned 4, it was a big deal to him that he could stop using his car seat. Per the laws at the time (1994), children were only required to be in their car seats until their 4th birthday and from that birthday on, he was done with it! I know research since that time has shown that children ages 4 to at least 8 need to be in booster seats so the adult seat belts fit more properly across their pelvis and ribs. Being a ?€?good?€? Mom I made sure my 8 year-old daughter was in a booster seat those four years. Boy,was she looking forward to her 8th birthday to dump the booster! As part of my recent research on this topic, what I found is currently recommended from a safety viewpoint is that a child continues to use a booster seat until:
1.) At least 9 years old ( for pelvis bone development).
2.) The child has a sitting height of 29?€?, standing height of 4?€™9?€?.
3.) The child can sit all the way back with their knees comfortably bent at the edge of the seat.
4.) The lap belt rests across their thighs (not their abdomen).
5.) The shoulder belt is centered on the shoulder and chest (not the neck).
Parents are more likely to use booster seats if a law requires it. However, US Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said, ?€?Just because they may not be the law of the land, does not mean they should not be the law of your house.?€?
In a collision, a standard seat belt can injure someone shorter than 4 feet 9 inches tall (57?€? ). The belt can slip up and cause serious damage to their intestines, liver, and spleen.
About 350 children aged 4-7 die in crashes each year and about 50,000 are injured. A booster seat raises the child enough to make the belt more effective and safe. This is an easy way to practice preventive medicine.
And I tell my daughter is that it helps her to see out the window better.
~Susan