Booster seats touted for kids up to 10 years

When it comes to keeping young children safe in cars, most parents know the basics of car-seat use.

But once the kids outgrow those car seats, what most parents don't know is putting their children at risk, say health department officials.

"Booster seats have always been recommended for children who are under 4 feet 9 inches and 80 pounds," said Andrea Miller, injury prevention coordinator for the Utah County Health Department. "Pretty much everyone knows to use a child restraint device, but once the children outgrow those, a lot of parents forget about booster seats."

To raise awareness of booster-seat use, the health department has arranged a child's safety fair this afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. at Gene Harvey Chevrolet, 221 S. 500 East in American Fork. It will feature information and safety checks for parents, games and prizes for children.

The event is being done in conjunction with Child Passenger Safety Week, an annual event sponsored by Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit organization that promotes child safety through education.

In past years, such events have focused on car seats, but the focus this year has been placed on children ages 8-10; many of whom may still need a booster seat in order to be protected by seat belts.

"Many 8-year-olds will be big enough (to not require a booster)," Miller said. "But it's kind of that weird age, where some will be big enough but some won't."

According to data compiled by Safe Kids Worldwide, 98 percent of all children under a year old were properly restrained in 2004. That figure dropped to 93 percent for children ages 1 to 3, and then to 73 percent for children ages 4 to 7. Estimates by Safe Kids Worldwide indicate that appropriate use of booster seats can reduce the risk of injury by up to 59 percent compared to the use of a regular seat belt alone.

But the word just hasn't gotten out, Miller said.

"Sometimes we get parents that think we're joking," she said. "They're like, 'Yeah right, my 10 year old isn't sitting in a booster seat."'

It's a stigma, event supporters say, and the only way around it is more education.

"It's definitely something that has been talked about but largely ignored," said Janet Brooks, child advocacy manager at Primary Children's Medical Center. "There's still a big education component that we're working on."