Insurance Institute Names 31 Boosters 'Best Bets'

WASHINGTON (CBSMiami/AP) — The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says it's now easier than ever for parents to find safe booster seats for children.

The agency has designated 31 child booster car seats as "best bets," meaning they correctly position a seat belt on a child in almost any car, minivan or SUV.

Anne McCartt, Senior Vice President of Research at IIHS, said if the booster seat doesn't help the seat belt fit correctly, a child could be hurt in a crash. She also said if belts are uncomfortable children are likely to remove them.

Brands with more than one "best bet" include 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." The institute says 41 models "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 Rümi 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

• Click here for more information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
• Click here for more on car seat safety from the National Highway Transportation Safety Admiministration
• Click here for more on car seats from the American Academy of Pediatricians.

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