What is the 5-Step Test?
The 5-Step Test is the only accurate way to assess if a child is optimally protected by a vehicle’s lap/shoulder seatbelt system without a booster seat or other type of child restraint. The 5 “test” questions guide parents or caregivers in their assessment of the seatbelt fit on the child. This fit will vary depending on the child, the vehicle and even the specific seating position within the vehicle. The 5-Step Test takes all important variables into consideration including child’s size, ability to stay seated properly, depth of vehicle seat and seatbelt geometry. Weight and age are actually meaningless factors for determining if a seatbelt fits a child correctly.
Taking the 5-Step Test is quick and simple. Have the child buckle up in the vehicle and then answer these 5 questions:
1. Does the child sit all the way back on the vehicle seat?
2. Are knees bent comfortably at the edge of the vehicle seat?
3. Does seatbelt cross the shoulder properly? (it should be centered over the collar bone)
4. Is the lap portion of the seatbelt low – touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated this way for the entire ride, every ride (awake and asleep)?
Bonus step – feet planted firmly on floor
Why is the 5-Step Test Important?
The 5-Step Test is important because adult seatbelts are not designed to restrain children and ill-fitting belts can actually cause injuries in a crash. Of course that isn’t an excuse to not buckle up. Kids are always better off if they are restrained in a crash, even if it’s sub-optimally. Not buckling up dramatically increases the child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries. However, using a belt-positioning booster seat for older kids and “tweens” who don’t yet pass the 5-Step Test significantly reduces the risk of injury. Unfortunately, the majority of older kids who really still need booster seats aren’t using one. This leads to a lot of misuse, or non-use, of the adult seatbelt. Poor seatbelt fit makes for uncomfortable kids and uncomfortable kids are much more likely to either not buckle up at all or to misuse the seatbelt in ways which reduce their effectiveness and increase the risks of injury in a crash. How many times have you seen kids tuck the shoulder belt under their arm, or worse yet – put it behind their back entirely? Whenever I see a child do this, I know that this child probably still needs a booster to help position the seatbelt properly.
Since most adults are visual learners, I’ve put together some examples of the 5-Step Test that you can practice on to get a better idea of what to look for. As you’ll see from these real life examples, age is irrelevant.
Child: 8.5 yrs, 57 lbs, 53″ / Vehicle: 2006 Ford Escape / Booster: Clek Olli
1. Sitting all the way back in vehicle seat? No, notice the slumping posture.
2. Knees bent comfortably over edge of vehicle seat? Yes, but only because she has slouched forward to be able to bend them. If she sat all the way back (where she should be) her knees would not bend comfortably over the edge.
3. Does seatbelt cross shoulder properly? No, it’s too high and touching her neck.
4. Is lap portion of seatbelt low – touching tops of the thighs where the strong hip bones are? No, it’s up over the soft abdomen where it can damage internal organs in a crash.
5. Can child stay seated this way for the entire ride, every ride? Only the parent or caregiver can answer this question but in this case – it’s a moot point. She clearly does not pass all portions of the 5-Step Test and still needs a booster to ride safely in this seating position in this vehicle.
Now let’s compare the seatbelt fit when she’s using a booster:
She’s sitting all the way back now (notice the change in posture), the shoulder belt is positioned correctly (centered across the shoulder) and the lap belt is low – touching the tops of the thighs. This is how a seatbelt is designed to fit an adult.
Next Scenario:
Child: 10 years, 56″, 80 lbs / Vehicle: 2000 Honda Accord / Booster: Cosco Ambassador
1. Sitting all the way back in vehicle seat? Yes.
2. Knees bent comfortably over edge of vehicle seat? You can’t tell in these pictures but the answer is yes – his knees do bend comfortably.
3. Does seatbelt cross shoulder properly? Yes.
4. Is lap portion of seatbelt low – touching tops of the thighs where the strong hip bones are? No, it’s up over his abdomen where it can damage internal organs in a crash.
5. Can child stay seated this way for the entire ride, every ride? The answer here happens to be yes but again, it’s a moot point since the lap portion of the seatbelt doesn’t fit him properly without a booster.
Now let’s compare the seatbelt fit when he’s using a booster in this seating position. Notice how the lap belt is now positioned lower – touching the tops of his thighs where his strong hip bones are. The hip bones and collar bone are strong enough to take the brunt of crash forces. There’s nothing strong inside the abdominal area and the injuries that can be caused by ill-fitting lap belts in a crash can be devastating. Unfortunately, “seatbelt syndrome” (specific patterns of intra-abdominal injuries) is common in children who have been involved in crashes when parents or caregivers skip the booster seat or allow children to move out of them and into the adult seatbelt prematurely.
Moving along – let’s look at our next scenario:
Child: 11 years, 62 lbs, 53″ / Vehicle: 2005 Toyota Sienna / Booster: Graco Air Booster
1. Sitting all the way back in vehicle seat? Definitely not.
2. Knees bent comfortably over edge of vehicle seat? Not if he was sitting all the way back where he should be.
3. Does seatbelt cross shoulder properly? No. It’s too high and up against his neck.
4. Is lap portion of seatbelt low – touching tops of the thighs where the strong hip bones are? No, it’s up over his abdomen.
5. Can child stay seated this way for the entire ride, every ride? Again, moot point.
Now let’s compare the seatbelt fit when he’s using a booster in this seating position. Notice how the lap belt is now positioned much lower – touching the tops of his thighs. Shoulder belt is now positioned correctly too. Additionally, he has some extra protection from the headwings of this highback booster model. Highback boosters (particularly those with deep headwings) can provide more protection in side-impact crashes and are significantly better for sleeping in. Backless boosters, while generally very effective for positioning the seatbelt properly on most older kids, are really best suited for kids who never sleep in the car.
Finally, here are some pictures of kids who clearly pass the 5-Step Test.
Sitting all the way back? Check.
Knees bent comfortably over edge of seat? Check.
Lap belt low – touching top of thighs? Check.
Shoulder belt positioned correctly? Check.
Can stay seated this way for the entire ride, every ride? Check, check!
These kids pass the 5-Step Test and can ride safely in just the adult seatbelt!
@ Kristen – do you have a power driver’s seat? How many ways can you adjust the seat? If adjustments are minimal or you can’t get a good fit no matter what you try, you may want to consider using an Incognito to raise you up a little bit if the belt fit is particularly bad. As far as distance between your chest and the steering wheel – how far away are you? Are you at least 10″? For what it’s worth, I have power adjustable pedals in my Ford minivan and they are the greatest invention ever for short drivers. Adjustable pedals are definitely a feature that you want to have in any future vehicle you purchase. http://ask.cars.com/2013/04/whats-a-good-car-with-adjustable-pedals-for-short-people.html
So….as a vertically challenged adult, I myself don’t pass the 5 step test. Can you recommend any strategies I could use to be safer (especially to position the belt correctly when in the car, but also to get the correct distance between myself and the airbag when driving)?
This is fantastic & I’ll be sharing. Our kids are grown but we now have 8 grandkids. We used to joke my you gets daughter would need to ride in a carseat to Jr. High. She just passed the test (and made it to 63 lbs) the summer before 7th grade.
Too many kids (and their parents) are in a hurry to grow up. I think many sacrifice safety for convenience. Great post!
I agree only to a point. I just keep looking at that 11-year-old in a booster seat, and considering the fights I had with my 9-year-old to the point where I let him out of the booster, I don’t see any child older than that cooperating about a booster, especially when none of their other friends are riding in a “baby seat.” While safety is paramount, I think we have to be realistic here and realize 99% of tweens are not going to tolerate being in a booster seat.
Hi! If all these steps were followed for EVERYONE, I, at almost 38 years old, would still be in a booster… for the shoulder belt does not go across my collarbone, it is touching my neck! I do qualify on all other accounts tho 🙂
Also, one more aspect to consider is the seat the child is sitting in. When my 11 sat in the booster seat last week b/c she didn’t feel like moving it to sit in the regular seat, her head was WAY too high over the back of the seat. Had we been in a car accident, her neck could have snapped. The same is true for my 8 year old son. They are taller children, but do not pass all of these 5 steps… as the seat belts are often touching their necks. Just one more thing to consider.
Hi Kristi-Anna, of course, these steps are not necessarily meant for adults. Granted, some adults may indeed benefit from a booster, just as a child would. There are a couple major differences, though. First, pre-teen children are typically not able to be responsible for their own safety. It’s generally up to an adult to make sure they are riding safely in a car and haven’t circumvented the seatbelt system. An adult, presumably, is wise enough to know that even if the seatbelt is uncomfortable due to their size or stature, they should still continue to wear it. Also, adults tend to have larger hips and more developed bones and connective tissue. They may be better able to withstand the forces if a seatbelt is not fitting them perfectly. Finally, a high back booster is indeed necessary for children who would otherwise be tall enough such that the tops of their ears are above any head support provided by the vehicle itself.