In the latest report on child safety and the first report of its kind, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in conjunction with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, released its findings based on the performance of 41 booster seats.

Will your child be safe in the event of an accident?

Here at LotPro.com, we enjoy discussing everything there is to know about cars. But what we often overlook in all the excitement is that the primary function of any automobile is to transport its occupants safely from point A to point B. Many of those features that keep us safe cruising down the highway we take for granted. One of those features would certainly be the child safety seat.

We all know (or hope) that the car we drive on a daily basis is basically safe. It also follows that, logically, anything offered as an aftermarket accessory – especially a seat designed to protect a child in the event of an accident – should also be inherently safe and perform to minimum safety standards. But according to the latest study by the IIHS, that isn’t necessarily true. In fact, of the 41 seats tested by the institute, 13 were rated so poorly that the institute is not recommending them.

Two Versions Tested

As part of the study, the institute tested two different types of booster seats – highback models with a built-in backrest, and backless models that rely on the vehicle seat for a child’s back support. There are also variations, as some highbacks convert to backless and some boosters, known as combination seats, can be used as child restraints.

Testing, by the way, was done with a range of 2001-2006 vehicles. It’s also interesting to note that parents needn’t spend top dollar to get one of the better-performing seats. The Graco Turbo-Booster (sounds like an option for the 350Z) retails for $50, while the backless version of the same seat (also recommended) retails for $20.

Here are the IIHS results:

Cosco Highback Booster (Not Recommended)

Not Recommended

•    Safety Angel Ride Ryte backless
•    Cosco/Dorel (Eddie Bauer) Summit
•    Graco CarGo Zephyr
•    Evenflo Big Kid Confidence
•    Cosco/Dorel Traveler
•    Compass B505
•    Compass B510
•    Evenflo Generations
•    Dorel/Safety 1st (Eddie Bauer) Prospect
•    Cosco Highback Booster
•    Cosco/Dorel Alpha Omega
•    Evenflo Chase Comfort Touch
•    Safety 1st/Dorel Intera

Graco TurboBooster (Best Bet)

Best Bets

•    Graco TurboBooster backless with clip
•    Fisher-Price Safe Voyage backless with clip
•    Combi Kobuk backless with clip
•    Fisher-Price Safe Voyage
•    Britax Parkway
•    LaRoche Bros. Teddy Bear
•    Safeguard Go backless with clip
•    Volvo booster cushion
•    Recaro Young Style
•    Britax Monarch

Safety Angel Ride Ryte (Good Bet)

Good Bets

•    Graco TurboBooster
•    Safety Angel Ride Ryte
•    Recaro Young Sport
•    Combi Kobuk
•    Safety 1st/Dorel Apex 65

Note: Unless the booster name indicates that it is a backless seat, all boosters are highbacks.

Tags: booster seats, britax, child booster seats, cosco, eddie bauer, evenflo, fisher-price, graco, iihs, insurance institute for highway safety, recaro, university of michigan, Volvo