According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, automobile accidents are the leading cause of death of children in the U.S. Proper safety restraints could help prevent many of these deaths. Travel vests are designed with special materials that distribute the child's weight evenly during a crash, thus reducing the risk of death or serious injury. The design distributes the crash force over the child's entire upper body, which reduces the likelihood of severe injury. The likelihood of head injury is also lessoned for children restrained with a travel vest. Travel vests for children meet or exceed the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for child-safety restraints in motor vehicles.
Parents with children who remove their seat belts during travel or who experience behavioral problems can benefit from the added security of a travel vest that secures in the back. Children whose behavior results in their removing restraints by unbuckling seat belts or who are too large for a car seat may benefit from a travel vest. Travel vests will fit children from 60 pounds up to almost 170 pounds, according to the New York State Department of Health. The top tether attaches to a factory-installed ring that is available in most late-model vehicles. A travel vest is worn like a regular vest and can be secured with a tether with the child sitting upright in the car seat. The tether holds the child securely in the seat and secures the upper body. Travel vests are equipped with seat-belt positioning straps that hold the seatbelt and shoulder strap in place. Vests are adjustable, meaning a child can use it for many years.
Travel vests are more portable than bulky, heavy car seats and booster seats. According to SafeTrafficSystem.com, parents put the vest on the child before she gets in the car and can leave the vest on for rest stops on long trips. Carpooling is much easier when using a travel vest for children, because parents dress the child in the vest and she is ready to go. The child may be seated in any position in the rear because the vest is on the child and then the tether is attached and seat belts buckled through the vest after the child is seated. Because travel vests are designed to be used with lap belts only or with a shoulder and lap belt, the child can sit in the center or on either side of the rear seat.
