"No benefit to remaining harnessed"

Karen · Sep 23, 2012

Please explain this statement to me...

DS is almost 6.5 and still harnessed full time. He is very small for his age, and very light. I understand the head excursion argument for a very heavy child, but for a child his age/size please discuss with me why having him harnessed offers "NO" protection. I've seen crash tests and children sliding out the side of a booster.

The last time I went to read about this topic there were lots of opinions on the matter, but not very much research to back up either way. Is there now???

DS does ride in a booster in grandparent's cars, but loves his FR85 and I'm in no hurry to switch.

hedgefun · Sep 23, 2012

How light is he? Sorry if you have his stats in your sig,I'm on the mobile app.

Karen · Sep 23, 2012

42 pounds

jkrkmama · Sep 23, 2012

I was under the impression that there aren't any studies proving harnessing is safer than boostering at that age, not that there is no benefit to it. I you are more comfortable keeping him harnessed and he prefers it, there is no reason to switch, IMO.

Karen · Sep 23, 2012

jkrkmama said:
I was under the impression that there aren't any studies proving harnessing is safer than boostering at that age, not that there is no benefit to it. I you are more comfortable keeping him harnessed and he prefers it, there is no reason to switch, IMO.

This was my impression too. I just read some people specifically advocating for boostering. I honestly just want to see the studies both ways.

joolsplus3 · Sep 23, 2012

Statistically no benefit, anyway. If there were better data collection methods (for now, it's the first responder getting to the scene and trying to figure it out, generally they just say 'booster' for kids over four and 'harness' for kids under four, if they don't really know...also, they don't know if the seat was installed properly, used properly, whatever, and remember that upwards of 90% of harnessed seats and 65% of boosters are misused somehow), then we might know a little more. In theory, a properly used harness is safer in more types of crashes (better body containment in side impacts, for instance), so I hesitate to flat out state that there's no benefit, it's just that there's currently no way to prove it one way or the other.

BookMama · Sep 23, 2012

joolsplus3 said:
Statistically no benefit, anyway. If there were better data collection methods (for now, it's the first responder getting to the scene and trying to figure it out, generally they just say 'booster' for kids over four and 'harness' for kids under four, if they don't really know...also, they don't know if the seat was installed properly, used properly, whatever, and remember that upwards of 90% of harnessed seats and 65% of boosters are misused somehow), then we might know a little more. In theory, a properly used harness is safer in more types of crashes (better body containment in side impacts, for instance), so I hesitate to flat out state that there's no benefit, it's just that there's currently no way to prove it one way or the other.

Right! There's no benefit *that we know of.* Maybe harnessing is better after a certain point, maybe boostering is better, maybe they're exactly even. We just don't know and there's not really enough data for us to say one way or another. (Not that this prevents people from speculating or forming educated opinions, of course.)

Karen · Sep 23, 2012

joolsplus3 said:
In theory, a properly used harness is safer in more types of crashes (better body containment in side impacts, for instance)....

This is my thought process on it. And since I know that my seat *IS* being used properly every time I think it is a better choice to use it.

For the typical person that I do checks for, I think a booster is a better choice because it has a better chance of being used correctly every time.

bnsnyde · Sep 23, 2012

It has a chance of being used right each time. But we just got a booster for my son and the first time I sent my husband out with him, I wanted to show husband how to use it, and he said "Some other time."

!!!!!!

I did not let him leave like that. I showed him how. 6-year-old had buckled it over the armrest (part of it) anyway.

I don't get why a man with a PhD would risk taking his son out in a seat he didn't know how to use.

SafeDad · Sep 23, 2012

Karen said:
This is my thought process on it. And since I know that my seat *IS* being used properly every time I think it is a better choice to use it.

More points of restraint is generally an advantage, especially if you know it is installed and used correctly.

For the typical person that I do checks for, I think a booster is a better choice because it has a better chance of being used correctly every time.

This is likely the major factor supporting "Freakonomics" claims about using just a seatbelt for kids 2 years old an up.

The one study in the USA that had a minimal amount of data was limited to kids 3-4 years old and showed some advantage to a 5-point harness. I do not know of any significant research for kids above 4 years old.

TechnoGranola · Sep 23, 2012

Transport Canada had a study that came to the conclusion that harnessing was beneficial over boostering for the 4-6 age group, I think it was. I'll see if I can dig it up. And hopefully I'm remembering the conclusion accurately...

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

TechnoGranola · Sep 23, 2012

Okay, here's the thread http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=154571 Post #3 links to the TC study although the link is from NHTSA not TC. I didn't have a chance to reread, so my apologies if I stated any incorrect conclusions in my previous post.

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

Karen · Sep 24, 2012

Thank you all very much!

"No benefit to remaining harnessed"

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