People are putting 12 year olds in car seats!?

I've observed that a whole lot of people absolutely do not keep putting kids in car seats once they're about the height & weight of a petite adult (us included).

So the guidelines say one thing, but I'd be surprised if a majority of parents are still putting their kids in them even by age 10, let alone 12.

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sollewitt 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

In CA AB-435 is written to apply a 5-point fit test to anyone under 16.

	▲	bombcar a day ago \| parent \| next [-]
		I knew a few drivers (small females) who we teased because they’d have to be in a car seat if they weren’t 18+.
	▲	BobaFloutist 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Is that not just further formalizing "Use a car seat until the kid is big enough that you would expect seat belts to function properly"?

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ErroneousBosh 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

If they're too short to fit safely in a seat and use the normal seat belt without one, then yes, a 12-year-old needs a booster seat even if it's not a "child seat".

In the UK the limit is 135cm, which is about the right height for the average 9-year-old, so you're talking about a very small 12-year-old indeed - a good 15cm shorter than average.

	▲	interloxia a day ago \| parent [-]
		3rd percentile for boys at 12 years old. https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/cdc-charts.htm In NSW the guide is the person should be > 145cm which is somewhere between age 9 and 14 for girls. https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/parents/child-ca...