Backless boosters. Is a tall headrest really 'enough' protection?

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I was looking over the IIHS page for head restraint ratings. http://www.iihs.org/ratings/head_restraints/head_restraint_info.html It shows how the geometry has to be good to actually protect the head in a rear crash. I looked for my van, 2003 Odyssey, and they don't go back that far on the Honda page, but the 2005-07 Models are only marginal, and I know that my van headrests are quite far behind my head and unlikely to be 'good' :(

You can check your own car here... http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx

So we 'know' that the rule for a backless booster is that the headrest is tall enough to be at least as high as the tops of your child's ears, but when you couple it with these other measurements of how far behind the head the restraint actually is, it may not be optimally safe.

A highback booster offers at least some extra support so the head doesn't fly back as far in a rear impact and while I don't 'know' that it'll help prevent whiplash with any statistics, it seems intuitive that it would, right?

And of course a highback offers substantial protection against side impact crashes... http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/chop-htb090905.php

All I'm saying is, check your car's ratings on that IIHS page before making the leap to a backless, to make sure you aren't giving up a lot of safety to do so. Of course, once they outgrow a tall highback, there may be no choice, but proper seatbelt use is a huge factor in preventing injuries, so just keep encouraging that :thumbsup:

:)
 
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Maedze

New member
My car got *good* head rest ratings but POOR side impact ratings. Needless to say, I'll be keeping my kids in high back boosters with good side impact protection for as long as possible.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
my those tests can scare a person.... but as most of you know, it wouldn't change anything since I'm already committed to using a highback booster (following a long stint in a harnessed seat) as long as may be.

of course, for dh's car, the tests simply confirm what he and I have thought from the beginning... that the tiny car was not as inherently safe as my van... but that's why it's not the main vehicle and we avoid putting the kids in it as much as we can.

the side impact score is outright scary (poor)... but that's why we chose to keep Ruthie outboard and have Damian in the middle (Jeffrey's backless booster puts him WAY above the top of the seat in the middle), even though the tops of his ears are above, because those side crashes are the most dangerous and Ruthie would have added protection from her seat.

I'm further feeling more confident now in that decision (which was made with the help of techs and others on this board, btw) because while the side scores are just terrifying, the rear score is the best... GOOD.
 

christineka

New member
I thought the sienna was supposed to be pretty safe??? It was the second van on the list after the Odyssey. Or are van's just not particularly safe? I'm keeping my kids in hbbs until they expire. (DDs will be 12 and 13.) Or actually grow too tall. The sienna is much improved in safety compared to the old aerostar. I wish the odyssey's back bench was at least as wide as the sienna's. I can't imagine trying to get 3 across with a smaller bench.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Aw, sorry Natalie... :(
Bitsy's still using the Olli quite a bit and I don't fret about it too too much (even though she still fits in most highback boosters still...)
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I was shocked at the Sienna's rear crash ratings... granted, the way they do those tests are geared more towards a tall person's head being protected, so it's probably not as bad for short kids...but still, the rest of the ratings on that van are phenomenal, I wouldn't worry.
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
I was shocked at the Sienna's rear crash ratings... granted, the way they do those tests are geared more towards a tall person's head being protected, so it's probably not as bad for short kids...but still, the rest of the ratings on that van are phenomenal, I wouldn't worry.

I wondered about that, because it said they were testing for an average man? Did they specifiy a height?
I am barely 5 foot even, so my head is well within almost all vehicles seatbacks/headrests. Even dh, at 5 foot 8, is on the short side for a man, so I'm thinking his head would be protected moreso than a taller man....??
To say nothing, as you brought up, of older kids, who would be defeiniitely way shorter than an average adult man.
 

christineka

New member
So, I can feel better that I and my kids are short torsoed people. Dh is tall torsoed, but somehow the kids haven't inherited that- or at least it hasn't come out yet.
 

tiggercat

New member
Aw, sorry Natalie... :(
Bitsy's still using the Olli quite a bit and I don't fret about it too too much (even though she still fits in most highback boosters still...)

It's ok, he might be getting something new in a few months, since I really don't think the Olli will work 3 across. I just don't know what to get him! I like the Monterey, but it's also too wide. I need a Parkway with more butt-space.
 

Splash

New member
Yay, both my vehicles were good all around (in all areas). I knew that before I bought, but still nice to remind myself once in awhile! (Okay, only average for driver left leg in my car and hip/pelvis in the van)
 

musicmaj

New member
I was contemplating putting Mary into a backless when we get a van in a few weeks. Don't know what kind of van yet. She has outgrown the fpsv booster and just now outgrew the evenflo big kid booster. She is on the second to top position on her parkway, but close to outgrowing it and going to the top position. The parkway has to stay in the corolla since there are no headrests there. Maybe I should get her a new highback for the van? I only have a vivo or monterey to choose from, right? I wonder how long she would actually fit in them. She is only 8 but has a long torso.
 

CDNTech

Senior Community Member
Our new Escape makes the top of the list... still not changing to a backless anytime soon, but my spare is an Oto... so it's good to know that whoever rides in it will be well protected. :D

Our Mazda Speed3 gets good frontal, but poor side impact... however that's because they tested the model without side impact airbags and ours has side impact airbags. I know SPB has linked (at one point) to European tests that show the Mazda3 with side impact airbags gets great side impact results, but I don't know where those results are found... basically, I'm not worried... a little disappointed that they leave out some results/vehicle models on these findings, but it is what it is. :)
 

Pixels

New member
I'd just like to point out that a high back booster does not automatically equal a "good" rating. It's a case of comparing apples to bananas ... they're both fruits, but they're not the same thing. It's quite possible that in some cases, using the vehicle's headrest would be better than a HBB for whiplash protection.

I do agree, though, that HBBs would provide better SIP. But I'm not going to panic about whiplash protection in a backless booster as long as the vehicle's seatback or headrest is behind the child's head.
 

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