Belt positioning booster seats (booster seats) are recommended for children who have outgrown their car safety seats and are too small for adult-sized safety belts; children shorter than 57 inches or approximately 8 years. Belt positioning booster seats raise a child up so that the adult safety belts rest properly across the shoulder and low across the lap. Booster seats have been shown to reduce the odds of injury by 59% compared to safety belts alone. Despite the injury-reducing benefits of booster seats in motor vehicle crashes, the usage rate for booster seats lags behind those of other appropriate child-occupant restraints. This study evaluated trends in the proportion of children 4-7 years in booster seats between 2001 and 2006 following the 2005 passage of legislation requiring child occupant restraints up through age 7 years. (Author/publisher)
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