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13 Booster Seats Fail IIHS Tests
Oct 02 2008 by Sara Lacey
Here’s some news that parents hate to get: In recent tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found 13 booster seat models out of 41 that tested so poorly for seat belt fit that the IIHS doesn’t recommend them.
“It’s clear that kids in the 13 boosters we don’t recommend aren’t getting the full benefit of improved lap belt fit,” said Adrian Lund, IIHS president. “These boosters may increase restraint use by making children more comfortable, but they don’t position belts for optimal protection.”
The IIHS reminds parents that booster seats aren’t meant to provide additional crash protection; instead they improve the fit and effectiveness of a seat belt. Seat belts are designed to fit adults and don’t fit children correctly until they’re 4 feet 9 inches tall. A good booster seat routes the seat belt across a child’s bony parts of his body, not the soft parts such as the abdomen, which is vulnerable to injury. The IIHS did say that it’s better for children to ride restrained in any booster than to let them ride unbuckled.
Here is a list of the tested seats and their results:
Not Recommended
• Safety Angel Ride Ryte backless
• Cosco/Dorel (Eddie Bauer) Summit
• Graco CarGo Zephyr
• Evenflo Big Kid Confidence
• Cosco/Dorel Traveler
• Compass B505
• Compass B510
• Evenflo Generations
• Dorel/Safety 1st (Eddie Bauer) Prospect
• Cosco Highback Booster
• Cosco/Dorel Alpha Omega
• Evenflo Chase Comfort Touch
• Safety 1st/Dorel Intera
Best Bets
• Graco TurboBooster backless with clip
• Fisher-Price Safe Voyage backless with clip
• Combi Kobuk backless with clip
• Fisher-Price Safe Voyage
• Britax Parkway
• LaRoche Bros. Teddy Bear
• Safeguard Go backless with clip
• Volvo booster cushion
• Recaro Young Style
• Britax Monarch
Good Bets
• Graco TurboBooster
• Safety Angel Ride Ryte
• Recaro Young Sport
• Combi Kobuk
• Safety 1st/Dorel Apex 65
Note: All booster seats are highback models unless indicated as backless.
Visit the IIHS’s website for more information on the booster-seat test results.
User Comments
Thanks Sara. Now we know what to stay away from!
This is great info. I’m passing it on.
I wish the unsafe seats would be immediately pulled from shelves, it’s just not right.