National Survey Reveals Parents Unclear About Booster Seat Safety

LANCASTER, Pa., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to booster seats and child safety, parents remain largely in the dark.  The results of a recent survey commissioned by Chicco indicate that parents have potentially dangerous misperceptions about booster seat usage.

For instance, 88% of parents of children ages 0-10 years didn't correctly answer that the guideline for knowing when it's safe for a child to ride in a car without a car seat or booster seat is a combination of the child's height and the proper fit of the seatbelt.

Though many parents understand the importance of using an infant car seat and convertible car seat, more than 95% of parents surveyed didn't correctly answer that the guideline for knowing when to switch their child from convertible car seat to booster seat is a combination of the child being at least 4-years-old and mature enough to sit still in a booster seat.

And, parents are confused when it comes to which booster seat to choose.  Fewer than half of parents surveyed correctly identified the most important feature to look for when choosing a booster seat, a design that positions the shoulder and lap seat belt across the child's chest and lap properly.

"Safety is Chicco's top priority, and it comes through in everything we design and manufacture," said Mark Messner, COO of Chicco.  "These survey results reinforce that while making reliable products is important, educating consumers is essential."

ABOUT CHICCO

Chicco's KeyFit Strada Booster was recently ranked a "Best Best" by Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. Chicco USA is the American subsidiary of Chicco, the leading European baby brand with global headquarters in Como, Italy. Founded in 1958, Chicco is part of the Artsana SpA group, which also meets the needs of children all over the world, the distinctive source for parents seeking simple and safe products engineered for each growth phase of child development.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Chicco from August 25-31, 2010 among 722 parents of children age 10 years or younger. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Survey methodology, including weighting variables, is available upon request.

SOURCE Chicco