School Age

1) What percentage of car injuries and deaths involving children can be prevented by the proper use of restraints?

A) 50 percent
B) 75 percent
C) 100 percent

2) Your child just turned four, weighs 18 kg (40 lb) and has outgrown his car seat. It’s time to:

A) get rid of the car seat and buckle him into the back, away from air bags.
B) buckle him into the front seat using a lap and shoulder belt.
C) move him into a booster seat in the back.

3) If your child finds the shoulder portion of the seat belt uncomfortable, you can:

A) tuck it behind his arm.
B) use a booster seat to raise him so the belt feels more comfortable.
C) buy a seat belt adjuster for a better fit.

Think you’re ready to hit the road? Check your seating plan against these answers.

1 - B) 75 percent

Even the most basic restraint use is lowest for kids ages five to nine, according to Transport Canada’s Roadside Observational Child Restraint Use Survey. Other studies show that more than half of all Canadians allow their children, under age 12, to sit in the front seat. And 50 percent of us don’t use booster seats for our kids once they outgrow forward-facing car seats.

There’s no doubt that booster seats save lives and reduce the risk of severe injury. In fact, a recent US study found that children who were restrained using only seat belts were 3.5 times more likely to suffer significant injury and four times more likely to suffer head injury compared with children who had been in booster seats during a crash.

If you didn’t know this, you’re not alone. Here in Canada, there are no laws to tell parents they’re putting their kids at risk if they don’t use a booster seat. Among safety experts, kids who are too big for their safety seats, but too small for adult seat belts, are known as the forgotten children. Until recently, the story was the same in the US. But that’s changing — at least stateside (see below, “Turning Loss into Law”).

2 - C) move him into a booster seat in the back.

Children outgrow their car seats when they’re about four to five years old and 18 kg (40 lb). At this point they should be moved to a booster in the back seat. And that should be your child’s spot in the car until he is about 36 kg (80 lb) and 149.8 cm (4 ft. 9 in.) tall.

Why 36 kg? The upper limit had been 27 kg (60 lb), but, explains Valerie Lee, president of the Infant & Toddler Safety Association, seat belts are made to fit people who are 46.3 kg (102 lb), and 149.8 cm (4 ft. 9 in.) and up. And if the seat belt doesn’t fit right, your child is at risk.

Of course, the safety argument may not work so well with a light-framed child who happens to be in middle school or junior high and has no intention of sitting in a booster seat.

Amy Zierler, an information specialist for Safe Kids Canada in Toronto, acknowledges that in some families there may still be a war of wills. “I don’t think there are going to be any easy answers,” she says. “But as more children use booster seats, it will be more acceptable. And if we start them right away when they move out of their car seats, then that’s the first step.”

3 - B) use a booster seat to raise him up so the belt feels more comfortable.

Positioning of a seat belt is one of the most important parts of keeping your child safe — even with a booster seat. Be sure to put the shoulder belt over your child’s shoulder and across his chest — not behind his back or under his arm. Always put the lap belt low and snug across the top of his thighs. Don’t let it ride up over your child’s stomach. If you are involved in an accident, incorrect positioning of a seat belt could cause serious internal injuries.

Be careful, too, of any additional devices you use to adjust the booster or seat belts — they can actually do more harm than good:

SEAT BELT ADJUSTERS: These products are intended to make the seat belt more comfortable for a smaller person or a child. Because they may pull up on the lap belt during a collision, they aren’t recommended by safety experts.

LOCKING CLIPS: These should be used only with older vehicles where the seat belts don’t automatically lock. Refer to your owner’s manual to be sure. Used incorrectly, or when they’re not needed, they can actually induce more slack into the seat belt system.

TETHER STRAPS: According to Transport Canada, it’s fine to use a tether strap if it’s supplied with your high-back booster. If not, don’t add it.

Also in this story:
Too Big for the Booster?
Turning Loss into Law
The Price for Safety
Resources

March 2003