WASHINGTON (AP) - Parents have more options than ever when buying quality booster seats for young children, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said in a report released Thursday.
The institute named a record 31 seats among its "best bets," meaning they "correctly position a vehicle safety belt on a typical 4- to 8-year-old in almost any car, minivan or SUV."
Brands with more than one "best bet" included Britax, Graco, Harmony and Recaro.
Engineers evaluated 62 booster models. Some dual-use seats, which can work as high-back or backless boosters, were evaluated twice, so a total of 83 seats were tested.
Five seats were rated "good bets," providing "acceptable belt fit in most vehicles." Nearly half of the models - 41 - fell into the "check fit" category, meaning they "may provide good fit for some children in some vehicles."
Only six models were "not recommended."
IIHS' 31 "best bets" are:
-Britax Frontier 85, Frontier 85 SICT, Parkway SGL (high-back mode)
-BubbleBum
-Chicco KeyFit Strada (high-back)
-Clek Oobr (high-back)
-Cosco Pronto (high-back)
-Cybex Solution X-Fix
-Diono/Sunshine Kids Monterey (high-back)
-Eddie Bauer Auto Booster (high-back)
-Evenflo Big Kid Amp, Big Kid Sport (backless mode), Maestro, Symphony 65 e3
-Ferrari Dreamway SP (high-back)
-Graco Argos 70 (high-back), TurboBooster Baldwin (high-back), TurboBooster Elite (high-back)
-Harmony Cruz Youth Booster/Carpooler, Dreamtime (backless and high-back), Olympian/Secure Comfort Deluxe, Youth Booster Seat
-Kids Embrace Dale Earnhardt Jr.
-Maxi-Cosi Rodi XR (high-back)
-Recaro ProBooster, ProSport, Vivo
-Safety 1st Boost Air Protect (high-back), S1 RJumi Air
-The First Years B570 Pathway
The "not recommended" models are:
-Evenflo Chase, Express, Generations 65, Sightseer
-Safety 1st All-in-One, Alpha Omega Elite
---Online:http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
