Nine in ten parents move children from booster seat to seat belt too soon

As part of National Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 14-20), Safe Kids Worldwide today released a study that finds nine out of 10 parents take children out of car booster seats before they are tall enough.

The report, "Buckle Up: Booster Seats," funded in part by a $2-million grant from the General Motors Foundation, also finds seven out of 10 parents do not know a child should be at least 57 inches (4-foot-9-inches) tall to ride in a car without a booster seat.

"Car seats, booster seats and seat belts are engineered to offer more protection than ever," said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. "But we found there's a need to remind parents, and anyone who drives a child, about the importance of using a booster seat until a child is at least 57 inches tall and weighs between 80-100 pounds."

The study is based on a national online survey of 1,000 parents of children ages 4 to 10.

"We're committed to our partnership with Safe Kids and the work we do to improve child passenger safety," said Jeffrey Boyer, General Motors vice president for Safety and GM Foundation board member. "All who share a commitment to protecting passengers should take pride in the progress that's been achieved. However, this report is an important reminder that there's more we can do to ensure that children are buckled up correctly on every ride, every time."

Throughout the week, including "National Seat Check Saturday" on Sept. 20, Safe Kids coalitions will partner with Chevrolet and other GM dealerships across the country to host more than 600 events to ensure children are fitted with the proper seat and to check that child safety seats are installed correctly in the vehicle.