How to fit a child car seat Backless booster seats

A recent Which? survey found that 30% of four to 12-year-old children use backless booster cushions when travelling in the car.

Although backless booster cushions meet legal requirements, Which? has found that they offer less protection than full-sized child car seats.

This is because in side-on crashes, which are not tested as part of the current legal standards but are part of Which? tests, a backless booster cushion provides far less protection than a standard child car seat.

For example, if used with its backrest the Sunshine Kids Monterey booster seat offers good side protection, scoring 68% in Which? safety tests. But without the back - which the on-seat instructions say you can remove for children over 15kg - it scores 20% overall, earning just one star for side-impact protection as the child is exposed to serious risk of injury.

You can see the difference for yourself in this video. 

Backless booster advice 

Avoid backless boosters

It is better to use a backless booster seat than no child car seat at all, but if you use one we'd advise you to change it for a full-size child seat as soon as possible.

And as part of Child Safety Week 2010, which runs from 21 to 27 June, we are campaigning to have backless booster seats phased out.

Which? has been putting child car seats through their paces since 1966, using more rigorous tests than those required by law, including a side impact collision test. One in four car accidents involve a side-on collision, so Which? is working with consumer groups across the European Union to see the legal minimum standards for child car seats raised.

Which? is also calling on manufacturers and retailers to phase out backless boosters even before legal standards are changed in 2012.