New Study Confirms Safety of Many New Models of Booster Seats
Parents regularly engage in product research to ensure that they are purchasing safe children's products, such as cribs, playpens, highchairs, car seats and other products. Many children are injured each year when poorly designed or constructed and improperly tested products intended for use by kids are sold to unsuspecting parents. The good news is that many of the new models of booster seats, which constitute one of the most important forms of safety equipment for kids, received high safety ratings following a recent study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS).
The recent study conducted by the IIHS found that more than half of the booster seats on sale during 2013 earned the highest safety rating available in the study – "Best Bet." This designation means that the booster seat provide a proper fit with the seat belt when used to position a child of the appropriate age. Of the 31 new booster seat models tested, 19 received this highest rating, which indicates that they position 4 to 8-year-old kids so that the lap and shoulder harness are properly positioned to maximize the protection they provide in a car crash.
Despite the welcome news that those who design and market booster seats seem to be more consistently manufacturing effective child safety systems for vehicles, there are still many parents who are unsure how to determine if a booster seat properly positions their child. According to the IIHS, parents may verify that the booster seat properly positioning their child by examining where the seat belt lays on their child's body. The lap belt should rest flat across the upper thighs of kids according to the organization. The shoulder harness should cross the middle of the shoulder area according to IIHS officials.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other vehicle safety experts recommend that parents require their kids to use an appropriately fitted booster seat. The NHTSA advises that use of booster seats can significantly improve the risk of kids avoiding serious injury in an auto accident. One widely cited published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that booster seats reduce the risk of kids between the ages of 4 and 8 suffering serious injury by 45 percent.
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The safety benefits of booster seats provided an impetus for the Georgia legislature a couple years ago to make use of booster seats mandatory for kids based on manufacture specifications of height and weight until kids reach the age of eight. Our Atlanta auto accident attorneys at Montlick and Associates urge parents to comply with Georgia law and fasten their children into a car seat or booster seat at all times. Our Georgia personal injury team has been representing injury victims for over thirty years throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.