Question Safety of boosters vs 5 pt harness

How much safer is it past age 5 to be in a 5 pt harness? Have they just not done the research yet? My 3 yo is RF and my 5 yo is in a frontier. Just wondering for the times she sometimes is in a booster if it'd significantly less safe. She's 44 lbs and 45 in. I know the research hasn't been done past age 2 to say that they are safer RF but we've kept our small 3 yo RF anyway. Wondering if it's the same with boosters. Had the research just not been done proving that a 5 pt harness is significantly safer for a 5 yo?

There are no studies that state that one is safer than the other when used properly at your child's age and size. The main thing with boosters is child maturity. Since the child has more freedom they are in charge of their own safety. If the child is not mature enough to stay in position 100% of the time then they will not be safe and a 5 point harness is what they should use.

There are different theories as to what's safer and what are the risks and benefits of 5 point harnesses vs. boosters. Mainly, some people believe that boosters might be safer for ff because the upper body moves forward with the head somewhat. In a 5 point harness the upper body is restrained and the head moves forward so theoretically that's more strain on the neck. But 5 point harnesses have 5 points of restraint so in theory that's safer than a 3 point seat belt. So, lots of theories, no proof that one is safer than the other. Personally, if my car flips I want kids in 5 point harnesses. If we're hit head on I want kids in boosters. Actually, I really just want all my passengers rf while wearing helmets wrapped in bubble wrap and also being inside a full body bubble. So I'm no help in deciding...

ETA: All that is assuming that the booster is being used correctly with a child of the proper age, weight, height, and said child is sitting correctly.

mping said:

Had the research just not been done proving that a 5 pt harness is significantly safer for a 5 yo?

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Direct comparison research has not been done, and there isn't (IME/IMO) reason to believe that research would show that a five-point harness is "significantly safer" than a properly used booster. Research does show that properly used harnesses and boosters are both very very safe.

I'm thinking what you'll find is that it is totally different for each kid. DD1 rode in a turbo for about 10 min. today and it was a disaster! I had to have DH pull over and put her back rfing. She just couldn't sit still and control her impulses. I don't see much changing in 10 months when she turns 5.

Anyway, my point is that really the child has to be able to use the booster safely and if he does than there most likely isn't a major difference at age 5, but it's really hard for many kids that age to actually use it correctly, kwim.

mping said:

How much safer is it past age 5 to be in a 5 pt harness? Have they just not done the research yet? My 3 yo is RF and my 5 yo is in a frontier. Just wondering for the times she sometimes is in a booster if it'd significantly less safe. She's 44 lbs and 45 in. I know the research hasn't been done past age 2 to say that they are safer RF but we've kept our small 3 yo RF anyway. Wondering if it's the same with boosters. Had the research just not been done proving that a 5 pt harness is significantly safer for a 5 yo?

Click to expand...

I know others have addressed the booster issue, but since it's awesome that you have your 3 year old RF, I just wanted to let you know that there's research to support your decision. This research article from the British Medical Journal explains how the US study on 0-23 months old, taken in conjunction with crash dynamics & anatomy, the results of the Swedish practice of RF beyond 2, and research conducted on 3 year old crash test dummies, support RF until 4 years old.

Here's my random thoughts on it. Car seats and booster seats are tested for head excursion in frontal collisions. Untethered car seats and booster seats have the same limit, correct? (And someone please tell me if I'm wrong, because then I can change my random thoughts!!) Then the tethered car seats have a lower limit for head excursion. Everyone goes on about how much safer it is to have your car seat tethered and you should do every thing you can to tt your seat. That is to reduce the head excursion, right? To keep the kid's head from hitting the seat in front of it? But if they are boostered then don't they have more of a chance of hitting the seat in front of them? At least as much as the untethered car seat. Plus the roll over thing. I just can't imagine how it wouldn't be safer to be harnessed in a roll over. I'm sure they are pretty rare, but still. Anyway, that's my random thoughts on the subject.

My gut feeling is based on my personal experience in car accidents.

I have been in three accidents. One serious rear-ender, one minor rear-ender (I was the one being rear-ended both times), and one accident where we vaulted end-over-end down a steep embankment at least twice before landing on the roof of the car.

I know they say frontal collisions are the most common, but so far I'm 0-3 on frontal collisions.

Neither of my rear-ending accidents, even the one that SMASHED my trunk (I was hit in my honda civic on the freeway by a 1-ton Chevy work truck; hardly a fair fight) were the type to cause life-altering injuries to anybody involved. I was hurt, but nothing was broken and I recovered fully eventually. I doubt that harness vs. booster vs. seat belt alone would have made any difference to any passengers as long as what they were using fit them appropriately.

The end-over-end accident, however, was pretty serious. Two of the three adults in the car were seriously injured in our regular 3-point seat belts. Nothing life-threatening, but both of us that had injuries still suffer after-effects from them today, and it's been over 17 years now. My infant son, buckled snugly in his infant bucket with a 3-point t-shield was uninjured (then again, so was my now-ex-husband who suffered nothing worse than a broken pair of glasses).

I have a hard time imagining how a 5 year old would be as well protected in a booster compared to a 5-point harness in that accident. Luck plays a big part in it, but so do restraints. NASCAR drivers wear 5-point harnesses for a reason. And yes, I'm fully aware that they have other safety devices as well, but the 5-point harness is part of that. And they were using 5-point harnesses for years before anybody came out with a HANS device to reduce spinal injuries, and most of the time they worked pretty damn well in a lot of very spectacular crashes.

The only time I think a regular 3-point seat belt might be superior to a 5-point harness is during pregnancy. I feel a lot more confident about a 5-point harness based on my experience and logic. I know we don't have data proving it, but we don't have data to contradict my gut feeling, either. So in the absence of real, decisive evidence to show that a booster is safer than a properly used harness system, I will choose a harness system for my child whenever possible.

As a side note, rear impacts are relatively uncommon when no fatality is involved. They account for a larger percentage of crashes when no fatality is involved. One Usa study showed a possibility that a harness is somewhat safer than a booster for 3-4 year olds. In any case, simply being properly restrained in an acceptable rear seating position in any age/weight appropriate restraint provides a great deal of protection. A child who routinely is out of position or circumvents the seatbelt in a booster is probably safer in a 5-pt harness.