Transportation Expertise

Booster Seat Use and Misuse

In general, children between the ages of 4 and 8 are too large for a child safety seat, but not large enough for vehicle safety belts to properly protect them in a crash. For these restraints to be effective, a booster seat is needed to either lift the child or redirect the safety belt to the proper position. UMTRI researchers have developed several studies to determine the rate of booster seat use by 4- to 8-year-old occupants. These studies have been implemented on both a statewide and local level to evaluate booster-seat intervention activities.

Selected projects in this area:

Community-Based Interventions to Reduce Motor Vehicle-Related Injuries in Michigan: Booster Seat Research Study
Sponsor: Michigan Department of Community Health
Investigators: David W. Eby, C. Raymond Bingham
10/01/2005 - 09/30/2006

Evaluation of TREAD Booster Seat Demonstration Projects
Sponsor: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Investigator: Lidia P. Kostyniuk
07/15/2004 - 09/30/2007