Seat Belt Safety

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Is my child ready to graduate to a seat belt?

By Cara Miller

Travelling with the protection of the seat belt is the final stage of child passenger safety in vehicles. So how do I know if my child is ready to graduate from his booster seat to using the seat belt only?

Use this five-step test to find out if your child can safely use an adult seat belt:

1. Your child can sit all the way back against the back of the vehicle seat
2. Their knees bend comfortably over the edge of the vehicle seat without slouching
3. The lap portion of the seat belt fits snugly across the top of the thighs and doesn't ride up on the stomach
4. The shoulder belt goes across the chest bone and the middle of the shoulder, NOT across the neck and NEVER behind the back
5. Your child can sit properly this way for the entire trip

Remember that the safest place for children 12 and under is in the backseat of the vehicle in the centre position. If the vehicle is only equipped with lap belts in the centre position then the outboard seating position equipped with a lap/shoulder belt would be safer.

Check out this video that explains the reasoning behind each of the 5 Steps: