The AP reports the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) “and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued separate but consistent” new recommendations about child booster seats.
Parents are now advised to keep older children in a booster seat, which properly positions the seat belt, until they’re 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between the ages of 8 and 12.
The average child reaches that stature sometime after age 10, Hoffman said.
Booster position the seat belt so that the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder and keeps it off the neck or face, while the lap belt fits low and snug on the hips and upper thighs, not across the soft tissue of the belly.
Prior research shows booster seats can reduce the risk of injury by 45 percent in 4- to 8-year olds compared to kids of that age in seat belts.