Most new child booster seats earned the highest rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The group said it gave 47 of 54 new boosters its Best Bet rating, meaning they provide good seat belt fits for the typical 4- to 8-year-old child in most cars, minivans and sports-utility vehicles.
One of the remaining boosters received a Good Bet rating, which indicates they provide an acceptable fit in most vehicles, and the other six a Check Fit rating, which signifies they could work for some children in some vehicles. No boosters are not recommended.
Boosters, which IIHS has rated since 2008, make seat belts work for children, since belts are designed for adults. They are meant for children who’ve outgrown harness-equipped restraints.
IIHS said that deaths of children ages 4 to 8, the most common booster ages, rose from 11.5 per million children in 2012 to 15.2 per million in 2021.
