Most children need boosters from about age 4 to at least age 8. Experts at SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. offer this five-step test:
1.	Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2.	Do the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3.	Is the lap belt below the tummy, touching the thighs?
4.	Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
5.	Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
	If you answered “no” to any of these questions, your child needs a booster seat to ride safely in a vehicle.

Motor vehicle injuries continue to be the greatest risk to a child’s health. In 1999, 60 Dallas-area children died and more than 150 children suffered permanent disabilities in motor vehicle collisions.

Carseats and seatbelts help protect children from death or serious injury in auto crashes and sudden stops. Yet, many parents allow their children to ride unrestrained or in carseats that have been recalled or improperly installed. And, statistics from recent carseat checks conducted by Children’s Medical Center of Dallas safety seat experts show 98 percent of carseats are improperly installed, putting those children at great risk of serious injury or death.

1. Infants should face the rear of the car as long as possible. They must remain rear facing until they are at least 1 year old and weigh at least 20 pounds. Older babies usually outgrow infant carseats before they can be safely turned forward facing. If your baby weighs more than 20 pounds before age 1 or there is less than 1 inch of space from the top of his head to the top of the plastic shell of the infant carseat, the infant must be moved into a rear-facing convertible carseat. The convertible carseat must be certified to 30–35 pounds for rear facing. Convertible carseats can be used in the rear-facing position for infants up to 20, 30 and 35 pounds (read the label), then may be turned forward facing for toddlers up to 40 pounds. The longer the child remains rear facing, the more protected the head, neck and spinal cord will be. The best recommendation is a carseat with a five-point harness.

2. Never place an infant in a rear-facing carseat in front of an air bag. Infants should always be placed in a rear-facing, reclining position in the back seat of a vehicle. In a crash, an infant’s soft spinal column can stretch and the cord can be damaged if he is riding facing forward — and the baby could die or be paralyzed for life. This is true even for babies who have strong neck muscles and good head control.

3. Toddlers (over 1 year and 20 pounds/preferably 30 pounds) should ride in a carseat with a full harness until 40 pounds. Carseat options include a forward-facing convertible carseat or a forward-facing only carseat. Some forward-facing only carseats have a full harness which must be removed at 40 pounds and then the seat is used as a booster seat with the vehicle’s lap/shoulder belt.

4. Children over 40 pounds are ready for a high-back belt positioning booster seat to use with the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt. Children should remain in the booster seat until they are about 8 years and 80 pounds, or until an adult seatbelt fits the child properly. Boosters raise the children up to a position so the adult seatbelt fits them properly. Proper fit means the shoulder belt fits snug across the shoulder and chest (not across the neck or face) and the lap belt fits low and snug across the hips (not across the abdomen). If the child is using a low-back booster, the vehicle must have a head restraint to protect the child’s head, neck and spinal cord. Never use a booster seat with a lap belt only.

5. Children should always be restrained in the back seat of a vehicle, in the middle-seating position if possible, depending upon the design of the carseat, vehicle seat, the type of seatbelt and the other passengers’ restraint needs.

6. Call 214-456-6004 to make an appointment with a nationally certified child passenger safety technician to be sure your carseat is installed properly.