Why booster seats save lives

• The odds of injury are 59 percent lower for children between 4 years and 7 years old in belt positioning booster seats than in seat belts, according to a 2003 study in JAMA. Children in the study had no injuries to the abdomen, neck, spine, back or lower extremities whereas children in seatbelts alone had injuries to all body regions.
• Children in seatbelts alone are four times more likely to suffer head or brain injury compared to children who are properly restrained in a belt positioning booster seat. 
• In the United States, only about 30 percent of children ages 4 to 8 years old are currently using booster seats, according to a Boost America survey, 
• Minnesota lags behind on this issue, since 38 states have stronger child passenger restraint laws.