The Institute for Highway Safety has issued a report on the best, and worst, child-safety seats. The report comes after studies that have shown children 4 to 8 years old are 45 percent less likely to suffer serious injury in accidents if they are in a properly fastened booster seat.
The Institute focused their report, which recommends particular brands, on the criteria of where the belt falls on the child.
The Institute issued a list of the best:
-Combi Dakota Backless/clip
-Recaro Young Sport
-Recaro Vivo
-Maxi-Cosi Rodi XR
-Evenflo Big Kid Amp backless/clip
-Eddie Bauer Auto Booster
-Cosco Juvenile Pronto
-Britax Frontier
-Clek Oobr
...and the worst:
-Harmony Secure Comfort Deluxe Backless/clip
-Combi Kobuk
-Evenflo Express
-Eddie Bauer Deluxe
-Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite
-Evenflo Sightseer
-Alpha Omega Elite
-Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3-in-1
-Safety 1st all-in-one
-Alpha Omega Luxe Echelon
-Alpha Omega
Only about 25% of the 60 different booster seats that were put to the test got a ‘good’ or ‘best bet’ rating. Of those tested, 11 booster seats are *not* recommended.
Manufacturers of the seats are defending their brands, however.
Dorel, which produces seven of the eleven "not recommended" seats, says the Institute's "test simulates only one size child in one position."
Evenflo and Harmony, also manufacturers, join Dorel in standing behind their product, saying their booster seats go through rigorous testing to ensure their seats meet, or exceed, federal guidelines.
"This research may be insightful when working in the laboratory with a test dummy, it does not take into account and provide a fair evaluation of the real world conditions of securing a child in the rear seat of a vehicle," an industry group, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, said in a statement.
Experts are also reminding parents that even children in booster seats are at risk if they aren't belted in properly. Properly fastened belts can safeguard a child from further injury in the event of an accident. The belt should not cross the child's stomach, neck or too low on the chest.
Several states have laws requiring booster seats until a certain age. Safety experts say seat belts alone do not protect a child so, even booster seats that didn't get top ratings are still better than the seat belt alone.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said, “We're trying to get the better word out that age is not the most important, it's really based on more of the height of the child and how well they fit into those adult seat belts."
New York State requires children in the back seat to be strapped into a child restraint system until their eighth birthday.
For more information on the Institute's testing, visit their website at www.iihs.org.
