Ortonville – In Michigan, 70 percent of parents improperly restrain booster seats. So says Bridget Hanigan, a community liason for Success by Six, which sponsored a free booster seat check at the Brandon Fire Station #1 on Nov. 10.
Children over age four in Michigan are not required to use a booster seat at all, she notes, but adds that they should.
‘It’s crazy that in Michigan you can be four-years-old and out of a booster seat or any type of seat and can sit in the front of a car,? says Hanigan. ‘Kids between 40-80 pounds and under 4-foot-nine, usually between ages 4 to 8-years-old, should be in booster seats.?
Hanigan says a regular seatbelt will not work on children because they aren’t propped up high enough and the seatbelt does not lay correctly on them. In crashes, children can slide under an adult safety belt and be ejected from a vehicle.
Using a booster seat for a child can reduce the chance of injury by 59 percent. Hanigan also recommends children 12 and under should be in the backseat whenever possible. If a child must be in the front seat, the seat should be pushed back as far as possible.