Earlier today, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a report that they jointly authored with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that significantly changed established guidelines for children's car and booster seats.
Here are the highlights - (and your adolescent children aren't going to like it):
Old Guidlines | New Guidelines |
Children should remain in rear-facing seat until age 1 and 20 lbs. |
Children should remain in rear-facing seats until age 2, or as long as possible, i.e., the child reaches the seat's maximum height and weight for the rear-facing car seat |
Children should remain in booster seats until age 8. |
Booster seats should be used until the child reaches 4' 9" in height, possibly up to age 12. |
As an initial matter, it is hard to argue against the report's emphasis on a child's physical size rather than the child's age (regarding the booster seats) in determining what the proper time is for a child to be eligible to sit in a regular car seat; it's actually common sense. (Although I do wonder why it took nearly ten years for these two agencies to sort that out.)
Second, while safety is, of course, a primary concern, this report does leave off a signficant issue: many cars that are currently on the market and/or already in use by parents may have trouble accommodating additional booster seats for those adolescent children.