Benefits of Using a 5-Point Harness Longer
Many parents ask the question…
“When is it safe to transition my child from their car
seat with a harness to a booster seat?”
While all children and car seats are different, there are
some basic guidelines to help in answering this question
to make sure that a child is being transported in the
safest possible way.
Forward-Facing Harnessing Tips
 Child’s ears should not be above the top of the shell.
 Harness straps are positioned at or above the shoulder.
 Read and follow the car seat manufacturer’s instructions to
determine the appropriate upright or semi-upright angle when
installing the car seat in the forward-facing position.
Harness Slots:
Select and use the reinforced harness
slots that are at or above the child’s
shoulder, following the car seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics,
“All children 2 years of age or older, or those younger
than 2 years who have outgrown the rear-facing weight
or height limit of their car seat, should use a forward-facing car seat with a
harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by
the manufacturer of the car seat”. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration recommends children ages 4 - 7 ride in a forward-facing car
seat with a harness properly secured using the tether in the back seat for as
long as possible. Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown
their forward-facing car seat.
Harness Retainer Clip:
Positioned at armpit or mid-chest level.
A forward-facing car seat is outgrown when:
The child reaches the maximum forward-facing weight limit.
The top of the child's ears reach the top of the car seat shell.
The child's shoulders are above the top harness slot.
Snug Harness:
A snug harness does
not allow the harness
webbing to be folded between your thumb and
forefinger when pinched at the shoulder.
Why should a child stay in a 5-point harness?
The harness keeps the child in the car seat, limits forward movement in a
crash, and spreads out the crash forces. A 5-point harness has five points of
contact that includes one over each shoulder, one on each side of the pelvis
and one between the legs with all five coming together at a common buckle.
A snug harness protects a young child from potential injury in a crash.
Parents whose children have reached age 4 or 40 pounds have many options
to keep their children in a forward-facing car seat with a harness. There are
many car seats currently available with harnesses that will accommodate
children up to 65 pounds. If your child outgrows their forward-facing car seat
but is not yet ready to stay seated correctly in a booster seat using the lap
and shoulder belt, consider using a car seat with a harness approved for
higher weights and heights. Depending on the car seat manufacturer and the
model, some car seats can accommodate children up to 80 - 85 pounds.
These seats have also been designed with higher harness slots to
accommodate taller children.
Statistically Speaking...


Child safety seats are 71 percent effective in reducing the risk of fatal
injury for infants, 54 percent effective for toddlers 1 - 4 years of age.
Child safety seats reduce the need for hospitalization by 69 percent.
Booster seats reduce the risk of nonfatal injury among 4-8 year olds
by 45% compared with seat belts.
Among children younger than age 5, an estimated 284 lives were
saved in 2012 by restraint use. At 100 percent child safety seat use for
children younger than age 5, an additional 58 lives could have been
saved. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts:
Children (2012 Data)

From 2009-2013, 81 percent of the children under age 4 who were
involved in crashes and restrained in a child seat sustained no injury.
2013 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics
Belt-Positioning Booster Seats
A belt-positioning booster seat (BPB) is a type of car seat that elevates and positions children
so that the vehicle lap and shoulder belt fit them properly. Children who have outgrown their
forward-facing car seat by height or weight, but are too small to ride safely in the vehicle lap
and shoulder belt should be properly restrained in a booster seat. A booster seat helps to
position the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt across the center of the child's shoulder and chest,
and the lap belt low and snug across the hips providing a safe transition between the car seat
with a harness and the vehicle’s seat belt .
There are 2 types of belt-positioning booster seats. They are a backless / no back booster
seat and a high-back booster seat. Booster seats without a back can be
used in vehicles when the child’s head can be supported, up to the top of
the ears, by the vehicle seat back or head restraint. The high-back booster
seat provides the necessary head support in vehicles with
low seat backs that are not tall enough or does not have
an adjustable head restraint to provide the
necessary head protection for the child.
Many models of high-back booster seats are designed with large side
“wings” to provide head protection from side impacts, as well as the
convenience of a spot for a sleeping child to rest their head. Side wings, as
they are sometimes called, help to contain the head during an impact, and
often contain foam designed to absorb energy in a crash.
Research has shown that booster seats, high-back or backless, reduce the risk of injury for
children aged 4 to 8 years by 45 percent versus children of a similar age that are restrained
using the vehicle seat belt alone.
Booster seats without back:
 Many start at 40 pounds
 Less expensive
 Lightweight
 Easy to move from one car
to another.
High-back booster seats:
 Many start at less than 40 pounds.
 Provides necessary head support in vehicles with low seat
backs and those with no head restraint.
 Keeps a sleeping child in a better position so the vehicle seat
belt is placed correctly on the child’s body.
When selecting a booster seat:
 Make sure the shoulder belt contacts the child’s shoulders and chest.
 When selecting a Backless booster seat, use the optional shoulder belt adjustable guide to
achieve a good fit.
 When selecting a high-back booster seat, choose one with shoulder belt guides that allow
the shoulder belt to slide through the guide to allow the seat belt to stay close to the child’s
body. (When a child leans forward, the seat belt will be pulled forward. If the belt does not slide
through the guide, when the child leans back, the seat belt will remain extended and not close to the
child’s body.)
 Make sure the lap belt lies low and flat on the child’s hips and thighs.
When is it safe to transition a child from a
booster seat into a seat belt?
A belt-positioning booster seat is designed for use by a child that is too
large for the internal harness of a car seat, but is not yet large enough to
use the vehicle seat belt. The belt-positioning booster seat provides a safe
transition between a car seat and the vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Once children outgrow their forward-facing car seat, secure them in a
belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle lap and shoulder belt fits
properly, typically when the child is approximately 4 feet 9 inches tall
and between 8 and 12 years of age. All children under age 13 should
ride in a back seat.
When you can answer 'yes' to all of the following questions, your child
is ready to safely sit on a vehicle seat using a lap and shoulder belt
without a booster seat:
1. Can your child sit with their lower back against the vehicle seat
back?
2. Do your child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the
vehicle seat and their feet touch the floor?
3. Does the vehicle belt cross the center of your child’s shoulder
and chest?
4. Does the lap belt stay low and snug across the hips near the top
of the thighs?
5. Can your child stay comfortably seated with the lap and
shoulder belt correctly positioned for the entire trip?
PA’s Primary Booster Law
(Act 81, 2011)
All drivers transporting children 4 years of age or older but under 8 years
of age are responsible to securely restrain those children in a seat belt
system and an appropriately fitting child booster seat. (Primary Law)
 Violators may be stopped as a primary offense for non-compliance with the
Child Protection Law for children age 4 to age 8. Violators will be fined $75.00,
plus Court Costs (adjusted annually); $45.00 Surcharge; $10.00 EMS Fund and
$10.00 Administrative Costs.

The fine shall be dismissed if the person, prior to or at his hearing, displays
evidence of acquisition of a child passenger restraint system/booster seat.
Evidence shall include a receipt mailed to the appropriate court officer, which
evidences purchase, rental, transferal from another child seat owner (by
notarized letter) or bailment from a bona fide child seat loaner program.