Do you really need to bring a booster with you? YES! Most kids need a booster seat, even in taxis and ubers, until ages 10 to 12. Your child can ride safely without a booster only when they can pass the 5-step-test.
Boosters keep the seat belt properly positioned over a child’s hip bones. Big kids are 55% safer in a booster compared to just the seat belt. Best of all, boosters do not require any installation.
If you find yourself in a car without a booster, don’t make a bad situation worse by putting the seat belt in the wrong place. ALWAYS use the shoulder belt across the chest – never under the arm or behind the back. ALWAYS keep the lap belt low and flat on the thighs and make sure the child is not slouching.
The shoulder belt plays an important role in a crash restraining your child’s chest and helping to prevent the head from hitting hard parts of the car like the back of the front seat or the door. With the shoulder belt in the wrong place, the body jackknifes over itself which also causes the lap belt to slide up over the hip bones and into the soft belly, where it causes significant damage to internal organs.