The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently reviewed 72 booster seats that are currently on the market. In the past, many seats failed to meet safety and ease of use requirements. However, as parents become more knowledgeable and laws become stricter car seat manufactures have made strides in the safety of their booster seats.
The government recommends that booster seats should be used for children over 40 pounds and until they are eight years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall. In order to ensure that children were being adequately protected while in booster seats the Virginia based Institute focused on how well the seat belt fits an average booster-age kid in most vehicles. This year the seats that made the "Best Bet" list include:
- Britax Frontier 85
- Chicco Keyfit Strada
- Clek Oober
- Cosco Juvenile Pronto
- Cybex Solution X-Fit
- Eddie Bauer Auto Booster
- Evenflo Big Kid Arp
- Evenflo Maestro
- Graco TurboBooster Crawford
- Harmony Baby Armor
- Harmony Dreamtime
- Harmony Secure Comfort Deluxe
- Harmony Youth Booster Seat
- Maxi-Cosi Rodi XR
- Recaro ProBOOSTER
- Recaro ProSPORT
- Recaro Vivo
- Recaro Young Sport
- Safety First Boost Air Protect
- The First Years Pathway B570
Though this list does represent the Institutes list of best bets, it does not mean that all of these seats will work for your child in your vehicle. Be sure that you try out any potential booster seat to ensure that the fit is correct. The lap belt, when used with the booster, should lie on the top of the child's thighs, not on the stomach, and the shoulder strap should be at the midpoint of the shoulder, not on the neck or arm.
If you and your child have been in a car accident you know how terrifying the experience can be. Please ensure that your child is in the right seat for their age and that you get the safest seat you can. The attorneys at Tavss Fletcher have seen too many preventable injuries caused by a lack of child safety seats or the use of the wrong seat for the child. If you have any questions or need legal advice after your accident please do not hesitate to contact your Virginia Beach personal injury attorney at Tavss Fletcher today for your free consultation.