Noam Nagler

Hello ,
Maybe someone knows what should be the height of a child that he can sit in the back seat of 991.2 without a booster ?
Noam

911seeker

This should vary across countries / states / regions? Where are you?

Valvefloat991

It's not an issue of age or weight, or even of regulation, but rather about size. If a child is so small that the shoulder belt falls across the neck, then you need a booster. If the child is tall enough that the shoulder belt crosses the torso, then you don't.

It can be sticky with more than one kid. One of my neighbors had twin girls and one was a lot taller than the other and grew out of her booster much sooner. This did not make for good sibling relations.

911seeker

Two ways to look at this, in FL it is ilegal not to use "something" (seat or booster) till the child is 6yrs old. At that point, given the size of the rear seat and the low position of the belts, I think a lot of kids will be able to use the belt with no booster...

Valvefloat991

It is good to know the law and be legal, but it is more important to buckle your children safely. If your kid is on the small side at age six, it would be a mistake to stop using the booster, if that leaves the shoulder belt across your child's neck. In case of a frontal accident, you don't want that belt restraining your child's upper body by pressing against his or her neck.

kayjh

I agree, but I wouldn't limit that to a frontal accident. A rear end causes whiplash and a side impact can throw the child's head into the side of the car. Both of scenarios would be a disaster if the belt was across the neck.

My smallish kids (10, 7) sometimes complain about having to sit in a booster seat. I'll be leaving in them in one until they no longer fit. The seats (with backs) provide additional protection to a childs head in an accident.

We have first hand experience; my daughter was in the rear (outboard) seat of my wife's 2003 Honda Accord when a motorcycle hit the door and bent it inward, shattering the door glass. My daughter was unharmed, although she did get a few scratches from the glass. She was 5 at the time and still in a 4 point forward facing seat. I don't think she'd have had the same side impact protection if she had been in a booster only.

911seeker

My 9 yrs old is fine without a booster for occasional short distance use, my 7yrs old almost, though not quite there yet, so if the drive is more than 1 mile to the grocery store he uses a booster, my 4 yr old uses he booster in the very rare occasions I carry her (I of course drive with special care when I carry any of my kids, and don't take anyone else's).

But, first and foremost, you need to comply with the law. Then, if you want to add a helmet or a body armor, be my guest

Valvefloat991

While I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, and understanding that there is generally not much conflict between the law and common sense in this case, I still give my children's safety considerably higher priority than merely complying with the letter of the law.