A 5-Level Harness Is Safer Than a Booster Seat for Older Youngsters – CarseatBlog

March 11, 2024

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Is a 5-point harness safer than a booster seat and seatbelt for an older baby?

It’s a query that has been requested ever because the introduction of automotive seats with a higher-weight harness within the early 2000’s. To today, there nonetheless hasn’t been a consensus within the area both manner, so we’ll check out the proof and attempt to come to a conclusion.

Fantasy: Even for Faculty-Age Youngsters, a Automobile Seat with a 5-Level Harness Is All the time Safer than a Booster Utilizing a 3-Level Lap/Shoulder Seatbelt

So proper off the bat, I need to make a couple of factors. Once I say “at all times”, I imply for neurotypical, booster-age youngsters (let’s say age 5 and up) who weigh no less than 40 lbs. however nonetheless slot in a harnessed automotive seat. It’s established that 5-point harnesses are safer for kids underneath 40 lbs. and for teenagers who can not sit within the correct place for a whole automotive trip, however for mature school-age youngsters, we have to have a look at the proof to see if there’s a bonus both manner.

First, let’s have a look at the research which have in contrast correctly becoming seat belts (that means in a booster for teenagers age 5 and up) and 5-point harnesses in related crash circumstances:

….

That’s proper, there aren’t any. Zip, zilch, zero. So that can make this a bit tougher.

There are a variety of research that examine youngsters in 5-point harnesses to seat belts alone and a quantity that examine youngsters in belt-positioning boosters to seat belts alone, and even one Canadian research that in contrast boosters with a 5-point harnessed seat however with a dummy that was heavier than the load restrict of the harness. However none that examine youngsters in 5-point harnesses to youngsters in belt-positioning boosters for older children. One research did present a modest good thing about a 5-point harness over boosters for 3-year olds, however confirmed a lot smaller advantages for 4-year olds and concluded, “The outcomes for any kind of harm assist the advice for commencement at 4 years or about 40 kilos basically, though it could be the case that extra extreme accidents are higher prevented by CRS (Little one Restraint System with harness) even at 4 years previous.”

Transport Canada - Integrated harness and booster NCAP test

Picture Credit score: Transport Canada

So regardless of the previous analysis, we don’t have any agency proof to inform us whether or not older children (5+) are safer in boosters vs. forward-facing 5-point harnesses. I’m positive it will likely be no shock that within the research that exist, each 5-point harnesses and excessive again belt-positioning boosters each cut back the chance of accidents to youngsters as in comparison with seat belts alone. However that doesn’t assist us right here.

So we’ll take a step again and have a look at the established execs and cons of every restraint kind.

5-point Harness (forward-facing):

Professionals:

When used accurately, they nearly utterly remove the chance of ejection in all kinds of crashes.
They disperse the crash forces over extra areas of the physique, which equals much less drive in every space.
They maintain a baby optimally positioned all through a automotive trip, even when asleep.
They’ve a tether that reduces ahead head tour (as in contrast with non-use of tether).

Cons:

The harnessed seat should be put in correctly with lower than one inch of motion and tethered for optimum effectiveness
The harness straps should be appropriately tightened (to cross the pinch check), in any other case, the kid will expertise better head tour – rising the possibilities that the top will strike one thing contained in the car
The harness has a weight restrict and a peak restrict that should not be exceeded
In holding the physique towards the seat, the neck might incur elevated forces in a frontal crash

Belt-Positioning Booster with 3-point Lap/Shoulder Belt:

Professionals:

Seatbelt retracts by itself, so there’s much less threat of it being too free
No sophisticated set up course of
No weight restrict on seatbelts
Backless boosters can have much less head tour in frontal crashes just because the top is beginning off in a extra rearward place initially
A lap/shoulder seatbelt permits the neck and backbone to maneuver collectively extra simply (in comparison with 5-pt harness)

Cons:

Youngsters can transfer out of optimum place simply and incessantly, particularly whereas sleeping or leaning ahead to have a look at a tool
Some booster seats don’t have LATCH to carry them in place whereas loading or unoccupied
Extra variables concerned (as in comparison with correctly used 5-pt harness) that can’t be accounted for pre-crash. Instance: At what level within the crash sequence does the retractor lock? Does the kid “roll out” of the shoulder belt through the crash? Does the kid submarine underneath the lap belt?
Seatbelts present fewer factors of restraint with the physique, which can imply a better probability of head tour, ejection, and submarining in extreme crashes. Particularly a priority in far-side impacts, rollovers, and multi-impact crashes.

Effectively. That didn’t actually assist a lot, now did it?

We unquestionably want extra investigation on head/neck forces in 5-point harnesses versus 3-pt seatbelt. When a physique is harnessed right into a seat, the one actual free motion comes above and beneath the harness- so we see the neck snap ahead (why rear-facing is beneficial for youthful children) and the legs and arms go flying ahead. It’s a number of stress on the neck, which isn’t ultimate for kids earlier than their backbone is absolutely ossified (transformed from cartilage to bone).

Picture Credit score: Shopper Stories

In a seatbelt, there’s extra rotational motion of the physique across the shoulder belt, which can, theoretically, cut back the forces performing on the top and neck as a result of the backbone can be transferring. What we don’t know is that if it’s a significant lower in neck forces or if this concept even pans out in actual life, particularly for older children. And, even when there’s a significant lower in neck forces in a 3-pt seatbelt, is it vital sufficient to offset an elevated threat of ejection or partial ejection in a booster – particularly in facet impacts and rollovers?

So, I understand that is anticlimactic, however:
BUSTED, PLAUSIBLE OR CONFIRMED?

Ummmmm, PLAUSIBLE?

Harness, Highback booster, backless booster

There’s no actual reply right here, which is as irritating for me as it’s for you, I can guarantee you. I feel the large takeaways are:

Youngsters who can not sit correctly in a seatbelt by way of a whole automotive trip (even when asleep) NEED to be in a 5-point harness, even when we discover out that seatbelts are higher in some methods.
Correct use of each 5-point harnessed seats and belt-positioning boosters vastly cut back the chance of harm in a crash.
The kind of crash (which can’t be predicted upfront) performs a giant position in figuring out crash outcomes and a few crash varieties like side-impacts, oblique-impacts, and rollovers normally have a lot worse outcomes than frontal and rear-impacts.
We want somebody to actually research this.

I promise to replace when/if extra info turns into accessible. Within the meantime, I’d love to listen to what different individuals have discovered when researching this themselves.