Booster seat use among 4- to 7-year-old children stood at 43 percent in 2008, a gain of 6 percentage points compared to the prior year’s rate of 37 percent. This result is from the National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS), the only probability-based nationwide child restraint survey that observes restraint use and obtains age by interview. The NSUBS is conducted by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The appropriate restraint system for children 4 to 7 is either a front-facing safety seat or a booster seat, depending on the child’s height and weight. However, the NSUBS found that in 2008, 43 percent of children in this age group were using booster seats (either high-backed or backless), 12 percent were restrained in child safety seats, 34 percent were in seat belts, and 11 percent were unrestrained. These results indicate that as many as 45 percent of children 4 to 7 in the United States were not being properly protected (34% in seat belts and 11% unrestrained). The 2008 NSUBS survey also found the following: * In 2008, 48 percent of children age 4 and 5 were restrained in booster seats. * The booster seat use rate among 6- and 7-year-olds increased to 35 percent in 2008 from 25 percent in 2007. This increase is statistically significant. (Author/publisher)
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