When placing your child in a booster seat, you may feel like they’re pretty secure.
However, there are some things to be considered before you can rely on the booster completely, such as belt positioning booster seat system, where the belt is placed and if it is fastened properly and secure enough to protect against any kind of impact in any condition.
So when it comes to where to place the belt in a booster seat, the belts in the booster seat should be positioned in their specific place.
The position of the lap belt should be across the upper thighs of the child right below the hip bones to ensure maximum protection.
Similarly, the shoulder belt should be crossing your child’s chest’s center, and it should be made sure that it is not cutting the face or the neck area of your child.
In addition, the shoulder belt should never be placed behind the back of your child or below their arm. Belt positioning is highly important in ensuring maximum safety.
Today, I will tell you this matter so much and also share some safety tips in booster seats so that your child stays protected.
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How To Keep Your Child Safe In A Booster Seat
Booster seats do not usually fail in performing their function unless there have been mistakes in buckling up your child properly or if the booster seat’s positioning or guidelines have been overlooked.
It is highly important and essential to keep the safety guidelines, such as the height and weight limits, the proper positioning of the booster seat, the installation of the booster seat, and the belt-positioning in mind.
These are required to ensure that your child is as safe as possible.
Placing The Lap Belt In A Booster Seat
Lap belts are built to protect the lower area of the body, and for them to perform the function properly, they should be placed in the right place.
As I mentioned, this is as low as possible in the body below the hip bones. You should make sure that these belts do not cross your child’s stomach or come anywhere above this area.
Also, you should always wear lap belts and shoulder belts and never skip these. This is because both are equally important in protecting the lower and upper sides of the body.
Importance Of Where Lap Belt Is Placed
When lap belts are placed as low as possible, this will help the strong hip bones take the impact and pressure in a car crash.
This is because hip bones are very strong, and these are good enough to take all of the pressure.
If the belt is placed on the stomach, for example, then the stomach can get under too much pressure due to the car crash, and this is very dangerous as it might cause damage to some vital organs of the body.
Therefore, you should place it properly and tell your child to do so.
The reason that the shoulder belt should never be skipped is that the upper part of the body can never be fully protected unless the shoulder belt is present.
If this is absent, in the event of an unfortunate car crash, the upper part of the body can actually jack up.
This might cause the child to hit any part of the car or maybe even another passenger, causing either severe injury to themselves or others.
The head as well as the neck area, which are very important, can never be fully protected in the absence of a shoulder belt.
This is why lap belts only in the middle seats of cars have also been banned, as there have been numerous accidents happening to people wearing only lap belts.
Now, it is required and legal to wear lap belts along with shoulder belts, and you could be fined if you don’t comply with that.
Placing The Shoulder Belt In A Booster Seat
It is important to make sure that the shoulder belt is placed away from your neck. This should be lying across the middle of the chest.
Going over the shoulder, remember to have it snug across the chest of your child. Placing it under the arms or behind the back is also dangerous.
If you don’t place the shoulder belt properly, serious injuries might occur.
In general, children use booster seats when they have outgrown the forward-facing seats, and they should continue to use the booster seats until they are big enough for the vehicle seat belt to fit them properly.
Importance Of Where Shoulder Belt Is Placed
It is illegal to have passengers in your car that are not wearing seat belts and can result in being heavily fined.
Even when you are going on a short trip, never forget to buckle up the seat belt.
It is a good idea to teach your child, so they can do it themselves, but makes sure that the kids don’t end up unbuckling themselves.
Even on a short trip, you never know when an accident could happen, so always be assured. Remember to wear shoulder belts along with lap belts.
If you avoid doing so, your child is in danger of slipping out of the belt as they are not properly secured, and therefore they could get injured, which kills the whole purpose of using a booster seat and wearing a belt.
If you accidentally place the seat belt on your child’s neck, this could actually result in the seat belt choking them in the event of heavy impact and pressure.
There have been many instances of harm happening to passengers and children just because they weren’t wearing the belts properly. Always remember to wear one and wear it properly.
In fact, more than half of the crashes causing injury or death actually occur within 25 miles from home and at speeds less than 45 mph.
Therefore, it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are going, how short the trip is, or how far away from home you are. You and your children are always at risk when on the road.
As a general rule, remember to place your seat belt above the hip bones and the shoulder bones.
This is because these are the two parts of the body that are strong enough to take the force in the event of a car crash.
Ways To Safely Secure Your Child In The Booster Seat
When you are installing the booster seat, the best way is to read the instruction manual of the particular manufacturer which comes in the packaging usually.
There, you will most likely find how to safely secure the seat belt. These booster seats always use the vehicle seat belt, so make sure it is properly tightened.
In addition, there should be a two-finger gap between your child’s shoulder and the belt, but always make sure that it is never too loose.
Having the belt lose poses a threat of the child slipping out in the event of a crash.
The booster seats usually come with a plastic clip or a guide which helps to position the lap and shoulder belts of the vehicle correctly.
Therefore these should help you. However, if the booster seat has tether attachments of lower anchors, then you’ll find help in the installation manual.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Are Backless Boosters And High Back Boosters Different?
Both of these boosters raise your child up in order to help the adult seat belt fit properly.
These seats can only be used along with the adult seat belts and help to raise the child up to the appropriate height.
High back boosters should be used in cars that don’t have headrests or if the seat backs are low.
Most seats that look like they are high back boosters are basically combination seats.
These have harnesses that are for smaller children, and these will be removed when the children get older.
Backless boosters, on the other hand, aren’t as expensive as the high back boosters and are also much more portable to carry to another vehicle, making them very convenient.
These can be used in vehicles that have high seat backs as well as headrests.
Q2. What Should I Do If The Car Has Only Lap Belts In The Backward Seat?
Lap belts are going to be okay with rear facing only seats, convertible and forward facing seats that include a harness. However, these are never to be used along with a booster seat.
If your car has lap belts only, you should use a forward-facing car seat that includes a harness and also has higher weight limits.
In addition, you should also check if it is possible to install shoulder belts inside your car. If it can be done, then get them installed as soon as possible.
If it cannot be done, it is a better idea to replace our car or buy another one which has shoulder belts as well as lap belts in the back seat, as your child’s protection should be the first priority.
You can also use a travel vest. With this, you should be first checking the instructions of the manufacturer about lap belt use and lap and shoulder belt use.
Conclusion
I hope this article has properly guided you about belt positioning booster seat system.
These seats, with your child properly secured in them, are made for them to reach the appropriate height for them to fit as safely as possible.
And without them, your child is in danger of slipping out, therefore right when your child outgrows the forwards facing seats, usually, at 8 to 12 years of age or at the appropriate height, you should start using a booster seat.
Positioning the belt is basically similar to that of a usual grown-up passenger, so it should not be tricky to understand; however, it is important for you to know the importance of why they should be placed in their specific place.
I am Tahir Azam, and I have been writing amazing articles for TaxiHack for as long as I can remember. I know everything that is to know when it comes to automobiles and is always on top of industry news and developments. While I am not an expert by any means, I pride myself on knowing the ins and outs of many different problems and, of course, their solutions. The articles on our website are some of the best and well-researched content that you will find, and I spend countless hours making sure this remains to be true. This is why I ask you to take your time out and read some of my articles, especially if you find a topic that resonates with you or is something you are looking into. This way, you will find the perfect mix of information and tips on your desired topic. Learn more about Tahir.
