Does your child really still need a booster seat? What are the requirements for booster seat use?
I know, those car seats and booster seats can be such an inconvenience. We just cannot wait till our children are done with those things, so they can just hop in a car and strap themselves in without worrying about having that booster seat.
I get it. It can be a pain, but those booster seats serve a great purpose.
It is our job to keep our children as safe as possible, and this is part of that whole deal. So, the big question. . . Should Your Child Still Be Using a Booster Seat? You may be surprised to learn that your child is not yet ready to ride without a bit of a boost. . .
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According to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, these are the guidelines you should follow for proper road safety with the children:
“Children must be properly buckled in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4-feet-9-inches tall. Children must ride in a seat until they reach the age requirement or the height requirement, whichever comes first.” -Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning
I know. . . it may be a shock to your system that your 8-year-old should still be sitting in a booster seat while riding in the car. I too was a bit surprised when I learned that my 8-year-old daughter still had to be in a booster seat. Butttt…. safety first right? Booster seat it is.
Photo credit: Michigan State Police
Those seat belts are really made for us grown-ups, and they can do more harm than good if not fitted properly on our children.
Sure your child may be super mature (mine sure is!), and they may not even like the idea of riding in a booster seat, but you should explain to them how important it is for their safety.
And if all else fails, tell them that there are so many cool things happening on the road, and you don’t want them to miss any of it. . . so you gave them a boost to make sure they can see EVERYTHING. 😉 (Psst… this story worked for me).
#CheckThisOut –> Using a booster seat can reduce the risk of serious injury by 45% for children ages 4-8 in comparison to solely using the seat belt.
Less than 50% of Michigan children between the ages of 4 and 7 actually use a booster seat. YIKES.
This could largely be because parents are totally clueless when it comes to booster seat guidelines. I think many parents just really have no idea that their child should still be in a booster (although some may just be simply underestimating the risk).
Whatever the case, I hope that we can share the knowledge with our fellow parents, and help protect more children. The resources are out there, we just need to make others aware.
Want to learn more about highway safety for you and your family? You can check out the following resources:
- Michigan OHSP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miohsp
- Michigan OHSP on Twitter: https://twitter.com/miohsp
- Michigan OHSP on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OHSP
