Does my child need a booster seat?
All children should ride in booster seats when they outgrow their forward facing
car seats. Seat belts are made to fit adults, not children. Seat belts are designed
for people at least 4 feet, 9 inches (145 centimeters) tall. Most children need
a booster seat from the age of 4 or 5 years old until they are around 9 years
old. A child should be at least 80 pounds and at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall
before he or she could be ready to just use a seat belt.
Does my child fit an adult seat belt?
A three-step test will tell you if your child fits a regular seat belt safely.
Your child should ride in a booster seat until you can answer "yes"
to all of the following questions:
- Does the lap belt fit low, over the hip bones and under your child's
belly area?
- Does the shoulder belt go over your child's shoulder and across the
middle of his or her chest without touching the neck?
- Do your child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the vehicle seat,
and can he or she stay sitting against the back of the vehicle seat without
slouching?
How does a booster seat make my child safer?
A booster seat makes a seat belt fit a child correctly. The hip, chest and
shoulder bones are the strongest parts of the body. A booster seat makes the
seat belt fit properly across these strong bones so that, in a crash, the bones
absorb the impact instead of the soft tissues of the abdomen and organs.
A child who is too small for the seat belt alone can be badly hurt in a crash.
Without a booster seat, the seat belt rides up over the child's belly
and can cause serious injuries to their abdomen and spinal cord if they are
in a crash. Also, without a booster seat, the shoulder belt can touch the neck
and face of a child. Sometimes children put the shoulder belt behind their backs
because it is uncomfortable in front. This is dangerous because it leaves a
child's upper body without protection in a crash. Always check to make
sure the seat belt fits and if it doesn't, use a booster seat to keep
your kids safe.
New booster seats that you can buy in Canada are called 'belt-positioning
booster seats'. They must be used with a lap and shoulder seat belt. They
can't be used with just a lap-only belt.
In Ontario and Quebec, you are required by law to put children
in booster seats when they outgrow their forward-facing car seats. Nova Scotia
has a law that will come into effect in January 2007. Laws are based on averages,
and since children grow at different rates the only way to know if your child
is ready for a seat belt is to see that the seat belt fits correctly.
What is a 'seat belt adjuster'?
Products called 'seat belt adjusters' are not recommended.
These products clip or slide onto the seat belt so that the belt doesn't touch
the neck. They aren't tested to meet Canadian safety standards. If you are using
a seat belt adjuster, your child probably needs a booster seat. The only time
it's safe to use a product that guides the way a seat belt fits is when the
product is built into a booster seat. Booster seats must meet Canadian government
safety standards.
For more information about safely transporting your children, you can contact:
- Safe Kids Canada, the national injury prevention program of SickKids
(this site has a complete listing of car and booster seats available in Canada)
- Transport Canada, Road Safety
- Your provincial or territorial ministry of transportation or highway
safety.
Last Modified Date: June 2006
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