Why use a booster seat?

A booster seat lifts your child up so that the seat belt fits correctly across the bony areas of the body (hips and collarbone). Putting your child in a seat belt before he is big enough puts him at risk for serious injuries or death in a crash. “Seat belt syndrome” is how doctors describe injuries to the spine and internal organs that can happen to children who are too small for a seat belt.

Did you know?

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading causes of death for children ages 3-14 in North America.
• Children ages 4-8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained by safety belts alone.
• New laws in place in most states and in Canada require the use of age-appropriate booster seats.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Source: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Source: NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics & Analysis, 2005 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Crashes