Booster seats needed for children up to 12, study finds

Children as old as 12 should be strapped into booster seats whenever they ride in cars, research by doctors at the Starship hospital in Auckland has concluded.

The study of 1101 Auckland youngsters aged between 4 and 12 found 60 per cent needed booster seats to be safely restrained.

It found 93 per cent of those aged 5 to 8 needed a booster seat but only 30 per cent used one.