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NOTE: Always use a booster seat with your vehicle's lap and shoulder safety belts until your child passes the Safety Belt Fit Test. When your child exceeds the booster seat’s height and weight limits OR your child passes the Safety Belt Fit Test for all vehicles they will travel in, it is time to move into a safety belt.
The Safety Belt Fit Test:
provided by Safe Kids Worldwide
1. Have your child sit all the way back on the vehicle seat they will ride in. If their knees bend naturally at the front edge of the seat, please proceed to step 2 below. If they do not, please continue using their booster seat.
2. Buckle your child's lap and shoulder belt. If the lap belt rests on their upper legs or hips, please proceed to step 3 below. If the lap belt rests on their stomach, please continue using their booster seat.
3. If the shoulder belt rests on your child's shoulder or collarbone, please proceed to step 4 below. If the shoulder belt rests on your child's face or neck, please continue using their booster seat. Never place the shoulder belt under your child’s arm or behind your child’s back.
4. Does your child maintain the correct seating position the entire time you are in the automobile? If your child slouches or shifts positions such that their safety belt touches their face, neck or stomach at any time, please continue using their booster seat.
40 lbs through 80 to 100 lbs:
- Try and have your booster seat inspected at a certified child safety seat inspection station. Find one in your state here:
Click Here for a Child Safety Seat
Inspection Station Locator
- Be sure all passengers ALWAYS correctly wear their safety belts because your kids are watching and will learn autmobile safety from you and your peers.
- Always properly use a booster seat in the back seat when your child is a passenger in any car.
- Use a booster seat until your child weighs between 80 and 100 pounds, is approximately 4 feet, 9 inches inheight, and passes the Safety Belt Fit Test above. It is common that for most children, this will occur between ages 8 and 12.
- Notify ALL drivers who transport your children that a booster seat must ALWAYS be used when your child is a passenger in their vehicle.
- Remember that a booster seat does not use a harness; It uses your vehicle’s lap and shoulder safety belts only. Always make sure that the safety belt is properly buckled.
- Booster seats are not to be installed tightly. They should sit on the vehicle's seat. Your child should buckle their lap and shoulder belt and wear their safety belt like you do. Never permit them to only use the lap belt without the shoulder belt.
- Always use your vehicle’s lap and shoulder belts on every booster seat. Never place the shoulder belt under your child’s arm or behind your child’s back.
- Read and obey all instuctions and warnings in your car seat's instruction manual(s).
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Safety belts generally do NOT fit children until they are between 8 and 12 years of age. Children who have outgrown a car seat with a harness are safest in a booster seat.
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If you are ever in doubt about using a Booster Seat, use the Safety Belt Fit Test on every child under 13 you transport. |
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NOTE: Once your child passes the Safety Belt Fit Test, they are ready to use a safety belt in the back seat of every vehicle on every car ride, whether or not you are with them. A lap and shoulder belt will provides the best protection for your child, and should always be used together.
Safety Belt Usage:
- Be sure all passengers ALWAYS correctly wear their safety belts because your kids are watching and will learn autmobile safety from you and your peers.
- If your child passes the Safety Belt Fit Test for the vehicles they will ride in, the booster seat should be removed and your child should use a safety belt in the back seat only. If the safety belt for a vehicle does not fit your child perfectly you should immediately return your child to a booster seat for that vehicle.
- Ensure that all kids riding in your car are sitting upright when using safety belts, and not leaning against windows or car doors or lying down.
- Never put a shoulder belt under a child’s arm or behind a child’s back.
- Always notify EVERYONE that will transport your children that a safety belt must be used by everyone in the car, including your child, when your child is in their vehicle.
- Make sure your child understands the importance of using a safety belt properly and sitting in the back seat.
- If your child is going to be a passenger in a vehicle where you will not be present, it is important to tell the driver that they MUST make sure that all occupants are properly wearing their safety belts, including your child, before they put the vehicle in motion.
Find More Car Safety Information Here
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