Older children who have outgrown booster seats but have not yet reached normal adult size may be at risk for severe injury in an automobile crash, say researchers at UAB's Injury Control Research Center.
"Boys don't reach the adult male seated height position on which seat belts are designed until age 15, and the average girl never reaches this height," says Martha Bidez, Ph.D., senior scientist at the ICRC.
Bidez says children can roll out of some three-point seatbelts. Also, belts can create a fulcrum along the spine leading to quadriplegia, and long webbing lengths can allow a child too much movement during a crash. Bidez urges improvements in vehicle seat design so that seat belts fit both adults and children.
Contact Bob Shepard, Media Relations, 205-934-8934 or [email protected].
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