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Booster Seats –Should Your Child Be In One?

(excerpt from the 2010 Ministry of Transportation Spring Seat belt Campaign)

Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among children and youth[1].  Most of these deaths could have been prevented if the child had been properly secured in the appropriate child car seat.   For example, almost 66% of children between the ages of four and eight are using seatbelts.  Only 34% of children in this age group are properly secured in a booster or child car seat[2]. 

Seatbelts are designed to protect adults.  When used correctly, child car seats can reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants under age one, and 54% for children aged one to four[3].

During a collision, properly fastened seatbelts help to distribute the forces of rapid deceleration over larger and stronger parts of the person's body, such as the chest, hips and shoulders. The safety belt stretches slightly to slow your body down and to increase its stopping distance. The difference between the belted person's stopping distance and the unbelted person's stopping distance is significant. It's often the difference between life and death.

To understand the value of seatbelt use, it's important to know some of the dynamics of a collision. Every motor vehicle collision is composed of three types of impact:

1.   Vehicle collisions:  on impact, the vehicle begins to slow down and the vehicle exterior begins to crush.

2.   Human collisions: this occurs as the vehicle occupants hit some part of the vehicle.  At the moment of impact, unbelted occupants and all loose items within the vehicle are still travelling at the vehicle's pre-collision speed and continue to move towards the point of impact.

Another form of human collision is “person-to-person impact”. Unbelted occupants colliding with each other can cause many serious injuries.

3.   Internal collisions: the person’s organs continue to move within the body until they hit the skeletal structure.

What is the law for child passenger safety?

It is mandatory for anyone who transports children to ensure they are properly secured in either an infant seat, child car seat, or booster seat. This applies to all caregivers, from babysitters to grandparents.

Booster seats are required for children who have outgrown a child car seat but are too small for a regular seatbelt.  A lap and shoulder combination belt must be used for all booster seats. 

Ready for a Seatbelt? 

The law in Ontario states that a child can start using a seatbelt alone once any one of the following criteria is met:

• child turns eight years old

• child weighs 36 kg (80 lbs.)

• child is 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall.

Some caregivers may feel a child is safer if he or she travels in a booster seat beyond the age of 8.  Caregivers should follow the booster seat manufacturer’s height and weight specifications. 

Check the fit:

• Your child’s head must be supported by the top of the booster seat, vehicle seat or vehicle headrest

• The shoulder strap must lie across the child’s shoulder (not the neck or face) and middle of the chest, and the lap belt must cross low over the hips (not the stomach).

Fines and Penalties

• Drivers and passengers 16 years of age and older convicted of failing to use or improperly using a seatbelt are subject to a $240 fine. 

• Drivers would also have two demerit points applied to their driver record for failing to use, or improperly using, a seatbelt or failing to ensure a passenger under the age of 16 is properly secured. 

Note-Child car seat information can be found at the website www.buckleupbaby.ca

         or at www.mto.gov.on.ca 

To view previous Parent Corner topics click below:

Why art is important

Activities for cold winter days

Indoor Active Days

Spring Safety

It's Summertime

Media Awareness

Tips for Lunches & Snacks with appeal

Keeping Perspective

We are proud to be the host agency for the Perth-Middlesex Early Years Centres.