Booster seats must be used with the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt by children who have outgrown their safety seats. The booster seat raises the child so that the vehicle lap and shoulder belt can be positioned properly, and the child can sit without slouching and the knees can bend naturally over the edge of the seat. Although some child passenger laws cover babies and young children, most laws do not protect children up to 16 years of age in all seating positions. In many states, a ten-year-old can legally ride in the back seat without being secured because the laws in those states apply only to front-seat occupants. In some sates, a three-year old can legally ride secured in a seat belt.

One of the newest components of the SAFE KIDS BUCKLE UP program is the addition of BUCKLE UP Safety Seat Inspection Stations. These stations offer the same life-saving educational resources as the checkup events, but they are in a permanent location with regular hours. The goal is to communicate correct safety and booster seat usage directly to kids and their families.

Seat belts fit when a child is:
at least 4'9" tall
about 8 years old
about 80 pounds

Overall, 56 percent of the booster seats evaluated at car seat checkups demonstrated at least one form of misuse. An alarming majority (64%) of children using booster seats weighed less than 40 pounds. Yet guidelines established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) call for children to remain in forward-facing car seats with harnesses until the child weighs 40 pounds. At that point, NHTSA recommends that children be graduated to a belt-positioning booster seat until they are 80 pounds and a height of 4 foot 9 inches -- typically around 8 years of age.

Just as parents need to purchase age-appropriate toys, they also need to be aware of the necessity to place their child in appropriate safety seats designed to safely restrain their growing bodies while riding in a car.

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign works to ensure that state and federal laws or regulations exist to help prevent unintentional injury to children. Occasionally, the Campaign submits position statements to Congress or federal agencies with jurisdiction over child passenger safety issues. The Campaign may support or oppose pending legislation or rule-making, provide testimony at a congressional hearing, or issue comments as to how a bill or rule may be improved to better protect children. The link to their website is safekids.org. More valuable injury prevention information at Charlotte Mecklenberg Safe Kids. Another entity watching out for the health and welfare of our kids is Texas Children's Hospital.

Most convertible safety seats are designed to protect children up to forty pounds. At that point, Child Passenger Safety Laws in many states allow children to be restrained with only a seat belt. However, research has shown that an ADULT seat belt cannot adequately protect a child. Children should move to booster seats when they graduate from a car seat. Boosters are designed to raise a child up, allowing the lap and shoulder belt to properly fit. Lap belts should rise low, across the bony portions of the hips, not on the tummy. The shoulder belt should fit across the collar bone and not slide onto the neck or shoulder. Never place a shoulder belt behind a child's back or under their arm. Dustin was in a lap belt and we believe that had he been in a belt positioning booster seat, his chance of survival would have increased significantly.

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for children 5 to 14 years of age—a fact that can be linked, at least in part, to the reality that most kids are improperly restrained in vehicles.

The back seat is the safest place for children to ride. Never place a child under 13 in front of an active air bag. While an air bag may protect a belted adult, the force with which it deploys may seriously injure or kill a child. It is recommended that safety seats be replaced every 6 years. Extended use or involvement in an accident may limit their effectiveness.