Booster seats should be binned according to child seat manufacturer Britax after they were found to be unsafe in crash safety tests.
Child-sized dummies strapped into booster seats suffered far more serious injuries in simulated collisions when compared to crash test dummies in high-backed seats instead.
With only the booster seat base, the dummies tended to slipped out from under the seat belt, with the head impacting against the car door, while the dummies in the high-backed seat remained upright.
Under UK law, children aged between four and 12 years old must either sit on a booster cushion or in a high-backed seat, however Britax is calling on parents to only use high-backed seats.
Currently, booster seats are both legal and approved by the EU, but Britax says that European standards don’t consider side impact collisions for children in the seats.
Mark Bennett, safety spokesman for Britax, said: “We are asking all parents who are currently using booster cushions to switch to a high-back seat. Cushions provide inadequate protection in a collision, which is unacceptable when we are talking about the most precious cargo we will ever carry in our cars.”
Children in the UK must travel in a car seat until they are either 135cm tall or 12 years old, though Britax says there’s still a lack of understanding around safety, particularly for older children.
At this stage, the company says, many parents opt for a more simply booster cushion to make sure the seat belt sits correctly across their body, without thinking about other safety considerations.
However, Britax also found that nearly half of seat belts used to secure child seats may be fitted incorrectly, often getting twisted or fitted around the seat instead of the child.
Jan James, CEO of Good Egg Safety, which provides safety advice for UK families, said: “We welcome this powerful message from Britax which really drives home the dangers of booster cushions.
“What makes this so poignant is the fact that when using these, parents are at least trying to protect their children by lifting them up to ensure a better fit of seat belt, not realising that their child is still in significant danger in an impact.”