Take a moment to look at the cars around you the next time you're out driving and chances are you'll soon spot at least one unrestrained child riding in a car. Many more parents are aware of the need to use infant car seats in order to insure their baby's safety, with an estimated 97 percent of children under age one safely strapped in during car travel. But, tragically, this number drops to only about 70 percent by the time children reach the age of four, and a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study found that less than 10 percent of booster seat-age children actually used a booster seat. And so in hopes of insuring the safety of your own child, here are some important things you should know.

The risks of improper restraint
Clearly, your first step in guaranteeing your child's safety in the car is to make sure that she is, in fact, restrained (whether in your car or someone else's). Statistics from 1998 show that nearly half of all fatally injured children in automobile accidents were completely unrestrained.

But simply buckling up a seatbelt isn't enough. For children who are too small for appropriate use of a regular adult-size seatbelt, the lack of a booster seat can have devastating consequences. In the event of a crash, your child could either slip out underneath the seatbelt or suffer serious--perhaps fatal--injuries if the seatbelt rides up over her stomach and neck. Studies show that children who weigh less than 80 pounds and use an adult seatbelt without a booster seat are up to four times more likely than properly restrained children to be seriously injured in the event of a crash. At the same time, so few booster seat-age children actually use booster seats that this age group is often referred to as the "forgotten child." Please make sure your child is not one of them!

Guidelines for booster-seat use
In general, parents tend think that once a child reaches four years of age, they no longer need to be strapped into a car seat. In doing so, they not only forget there's another step in the equation--the booster seat--but they also don't realize that not all four-year-olds are ready for the switch. In fact, children are actually safest in their forward-facing, full-harness child safety seats for as long as they still fit in them. The best way to know whether your own child's seat still "fits" is to read the label or manual and see what the size limits are.

When you hear someone use the expression "booster-age child," generally they're referring to children between the ages of four and eight. However, this recommendation is based on the assumption that most four-year-olds weigh at least 40 pounds and are at least 35 inches tall. If your child falls outside these size measurements, she may be an exception to the rule.

According to SafetyBeltSafe USA, nearly 30 booster seats are available for children weighing up to 80 pounds. If your car only has lap belts, there are very few safe options for a child who weighs over 40 pounds, since using only a lap belt does not provide children with upper body protection and can actually be quite dangerous. While Fisher-Price's Futura seat allowed the use of the seat's internal shoulder harness straps until a child reached 60 pounds, this seat is no longer on the market. In the future, there will hopefully be other products on the market, but current options are limited to either getting a special seat made by Britax to be used with a lap-only belt, using a travel harness vest (made by E-Z-On), or having the car retrofitted with shoulder belts (which, as far as I know, is not an option in the center position of the seat).

Graduating from the booster seat
The general rule of thumb when it comes to allowing your child to stop using a booster seat is eight years, 80 pounds, and approximately 58 inches. Even if your child meets these age and weight criteria, you should make sure that she is able to:

• keep her back straight and flush against the back seat cushion while seated.



• sit so that her knees are able to bend comfortably over the edge of the seat cushion without her having to scoot forward or slouch.

Finally, the shoulder belt should fit across her chest between her neck and arms and the lap portion of the belt should touch her thighs instead of resting across her stomach.

Other booster-seat facts

• Price. Booster seats typically cost between $50 and $225. Oftentimes the higher-priced versions convert from being a younger child safety seat into a booster seat as your child grows.



• Airplane travel. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, booster seats are actually not approved for use on airplanes during taxiing, takeoff, or landing. One major reason is that airplanes only have lap belts, and booster seats require lap and shoulder belts to be effective.



• Back seat. Remember that regardless of the type of restraint used to protect your child, airbags can pose a serious risk to children seated in the front passenger seat. In addition, most crashes are frontal, and the back seat is statistically the safest at any age. All children 12 and under should sit in the back seat.

For more detailed information about booster seats look at the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Child Passenger Safety Page or visit National SafeKids Campaign website.

In addition, Consumer Reports Online offers a fairly comprehensive approach to buying, installing, and using booster seats.