Please tell me the truth about car seats…

@Bingbangboo is right, from a safety aspect it's car dependent. DD is 10, 140cm so technically tall enough per the law but she passes the 5 point test in one of our cars (small with very upright back seats) but not the other one (which is larger and has the seatbelt coming from higher up - so it sits too high on her shoulder if that makes sense). So I don't mind her going without a car seat in the former but she's still in a HBB in the latter.

Why do you feel the need to question if this is correct?
My child was 128 cm as she turned 10 years old. It really isn't that shocking
You can't compare to your child if your child is younger and tall for their age can you

I believe the 50th percentile is actually smaller than the average child now as the charts were made using data from over 20 years ago. The number of children above the 98th is now greater than 2%. I was under the impression most children stopped needing a booster at some point in Y4, although some will obviously be older or younger.

My grandchildren were in car seats whilst the law required it.
I drive past a Range Rover the other day with a toddler hanging half out of an open rear window. Tinted so no clue if they were even being held.
Car seats save lives. Ask any Paramedic.

5 step test - this is helpful for the future.

Her classmates may be tall enough now, age 10 is around the time they will be coming out of using boosters. You just need to ensure the seat belt sits right at her shoulder

When the fire brigade visited my Cubs... they measured them all. About two thirds were tall enough not to legally need a car seat in the UK. (8-10yos).

@PuttingDownRoots
A maturity competition! This is bizarre!

I tried to keep my oldest in a hbb for as long as I could but he just got too tall and too wide. I'm an extended rear facing car seat person for context.

He was just turned 9 when he definitely exceeded the height requirements and his shoulders couldn't fit in it (he's particularly tall for his age). In year 5 I think some DC use booster seats but many don't. We don't drive much but sometimes parties require shared lifts so we see if other parents want to use a booster or not.

My just turning 8 yo still has one as she's 1.5 cm off the height requirements.

I did feel weird about no seat at first. It felt like I was taking this huge risk as it was new. Not actually true though as he met the guidelines.

I've noticed similar. My youngest still has a high backed seat, my oldest (9) has just started with a booster. I just took the back off her old seat!
It always amazes me how many don't use car seats, it is against the law and is dangerous!

I have a very nearly 8 yr old, over 135 cm and in size 11 to 12 t shirts (tall but long torso) and she will stay in HBB until she doesn’t fit.

Are you sure that's her height at 10yr old? My DS is 126cm and he's 6yrs!

Do you think it’s more about this?

My nearly 9 year old is tall for their age, in 10-11 trousers already! But still in a hbb as he finds the belt uncomfortable otherwise. Until he says otherwise we'll keep to that as we're in no rush to change.

My daughter is 9 and just over the 135cm and still in a high backed booster. She's average height amongst the girls in her class and think she's the only one still using one. We have a Golf and the back seats slope somewhat which means the seat belt doesn't sit across her shoulder without a booster - it would be across her neck. It's not just arbitrary height guidelines that should matter, you should be looking at where the seat belt sits on the child's frame.

Mine both needed to be pretty close to 150cm before the adult belts fitted (See 5 step test).

About 145cm, they didn't fit the HBB, so had a booster cushion for the last 6 months or so. Think both were close to 11 before we ditched all carseats - tho we has boosters for longer in my car than DHs car due to seat shape.

you know the law, OP. Other people are welcome to endanger their children as much as they like (unfortunately)

My kids both used until 135cm which was about 9-10. Ignore their friends parents, who are putting them in danger. The average boy (50th centile) will reach 135cm at age 9.5 and the average girl at 10 so about half of kids should still be in a car seat at that age.

Although parents won't admit it...
The level of car seat is almost seen as a maturity competition. Hence why you get 6mos in FF seats, and toddlers in HBB... and 7/8yos with no seats.
There is now the "longest rear facing" competition too (but at least that competition is safer!)

However... my 10yo has been more than 135cm for a couple of years. Her shoulders haven't fitted in it since then. The seat belt goes across her chest in both our cars (both DDs used the booster cushion for longer in our bigger car, as the seats were both deeper and taller). Last summer she was just below the limit for France and Germany (about 142cm)... so she used the booster cushion there.

Shes not excessively tall. I know other children the same age talker than me, and I'm 170cm!

My 9 year old (Year 4) is 148cm

We stopped using her car seat when she reached 140cm about a year ago.

They’re supposed to be able to fulfil five different steps to not require a booster, the 5 step test. The laws are not enough in terms of safety, they’re pretty basic and yet people still even ditch them, those low booster seats are useless as in a crash they can slip from under them. Our son is a tall 9 year old and is one of the only kids his age still in a high back booster, he’s nowhere near ready yet kids smaller and younger than him are allowed to just hop in a normal seat.

If and when she goes into the front, I would be worried about the air bag,
I would personally not allow her to sit in the front
or if the car seat moves right back so not in direct contact with the airbag then i may

We were very big on car seats and rear faced until 4. Ds had a car seat until he was 6. Then a high backed booster. He's 9 and 138 cm (I would say he is average height in his class.) we stoped using a booster a few months ago when his head was too high for it.

128 cm seems the smaller side for 10? Obviously you should keep using a booster but I would assume the other kids are taller. Or parents are very lax.

I agree.

I think you should use it as long as you can, because it is safer.

I think your right. I think people want to pass them down to siblings before the oldest has properly out grown them.
And there's peer pressure from kids whos in / out car seats.

I think it's nuts but there again we have car seat laws but has anyone ever heard of police doing spot checks on carseats, or heard of anyone getting a fine for wrong seats?