Information for proper booster usage- why not to tuck shoulder belt behind back

Carolinadaisy

New member
Just wondering if there is a simple booster usage info sheet out there that I can share with my cousins. I don't want to offend anyone, but the booster usage just scares me for their kids. I do think they would benefit from remaining in harnesses, but it is just not going to happen.

One child is 4.5 and the other just turned 5. My sweet cousins live in a very rural, poor area and one is a single Mom. Both are on very limited budgets.

The 4.5 yr old girl is definitely big enough to ride in a booster and they have low back booster seats for all of the various vehicles she rides in. The 5 yr old boy has a harnessed seat in his main vehicle, but rides in a booster with everyone else. It's common in the area to switch to booster by 3 or 4 at the latest.

I am looking for some type of info sheet showing the importance of using both lap and shoulder belt with the booster. I often see photos with the shoulder belts tucked behind the children. I am sure at least some of the time the adult is tucking the shoulder belt. Mainly, because they don't know any better...we all did that as kids. I can also remember sharing seatbelts in my aunt's van.

I could just tell them why it's a terrible idea, but as I'm not a certified cpst.....I'm fairly sure they would just think I'm overprotective when it comes to car safety.

Thanks!
 
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safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
It is a common misconception that a shoulder belt can decapitate a child. I find that addressing this is usually the first step to correcting booster misuse.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I have an extremely safety conscious friend who takes car seats very seriously. She used to actually work on a board that investigated child deaths and this made her super serious about car seats and proper restraint.

Until last summer she was instructing her older child to tuck the belt behind him in vehicles where his backless booster didn't sit him high enough to keep the shoulder belt off his neck. She really believed that was more dangerous than tucking it behind.

Thankfully, I found out about this practice and was able to explain to her that when a child's upper body is thrown forward, the belt tends to slide DOWN not UP; so it will restrain the torso pretty well even if it appears to be crossing over the neck. I also told her what that little red belt guide which she'd probably thrown away long ago was for. ;)

Perhaps the best place to start is a question. "I notice sometimes your kids tuck the shoulder belt behind them in the car. Why is that?" The best starting place with a dialogue is often to find out what the other person's perspective is. Rarely is it "I don't really think an accident will happen so I'm not concerned with keeping my kid safe." Usually it's some misconception about the importance of the shoulder belt OR like Kimberly said a misconception that a belt on the neck is a danger. Sometimes it's simply that they lost the belt guide or didn't know what it was for and tucking it behind actually keeps it off the child's face (where it actually would be ineffective at best).
 

CarSafetyGuy

New member
Perhaps the best place to start is a question. "I notice sometimes your kids tuck the shoulder belt behind them in the car. Why is that?" The best starting place with a dialogue is often to find out what the other person's perspective is. Rarely is it "I don't really think an accident will happen so I'm not concerned with keeping my kid safe." Usually it's some misconception about the importance of the shoulder belt OR like Kimberly said a misconception that a belt on the neck is a danger. Sometimes it's simply that they lost the belt guide or didn't know what it was for and tucking it behind actually keeps it off the child's face (where it actually would be ineffective at best).

I think this is a good approach. Try to make it a conversation instead of a hammer of knowledge.
 

mom of six

Active member
There is also the risk of spinal cord injury when the torso is thrown forward and the waist is restrained. Similar to why we keep kids rear-facing longer. The spine can stretch but the spinal cord cannot.
 

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