Behaviours – Child Safety Seats

Transitioning From a Car Seat to a Seat Belt

The law requires that children be properly secured in a seat adapted to their weight and height until they are big enough to use a seat belt.

Car seats: it's the law

The law requires that children whose sitting height is less than 63 cm be secured in a seat that is suited to their weight and height until they are able to wear a seat belt properly.

Note, however, that a new measure will come into effect on April 18, 2019. Children will have to be secured in a child safety seat that is appropriate for their weight and height until they are 9 years old or at least 145 cm tall.

Depending on the child's weight and height, this seat should be either an infant seat, a child seat or a booster seat.

If you break the law

In addition to putting a child's life in danger, you are committing an offence under the Highway Safety Code  and are liable to:

• a fine of $80 to $100, plus fees
• 3 demerit points

How to properly secure children using a seat belt

• Their backs must be flat against the seat's backrest.
• Their legs must be long enough that their knees are bent over the edge of the seat.
• The seat belt must cross over the collarbone (the shoulder), not over the neck.
• The seat belt must cross over the hips, not over the abdomen.

When the seat belt is fastened, it should cross over the middle of the shoulder (the collarbone) and the pelvis. In case of impact, the shoulders and hips will absorb the shock, which will help prevent children from sustaining serious injuries.

Children who are not tall enough and whose legs are too short 

They will tend to slide under the seat belt to get comfortable and keep their calves from resting on the edge of the seat.

In the event of an accident, this could lead to serious injuries to the spine or internal organs because the seat belt is pressing against the abdomen rather than on the hips.

Children who cannot use a seat belt safely

They must continue to use a booster seat suited to their weight and height, even if they have reached a sitting height of 63 cm or more.

When the new Highway Safety Code measure comes into effect in April 2019, children will have to be secured in a child safety seat until they are 9 years old or at least 145 cm tall.

Riding in a taxi with a child

If there is no child safety seat, children are required to wear a seat belt.

If the child is too small to sit upright

Fasten your seat belt first, then hold the child in your arms. In other words, do not buckle up together: in the event of an accident, you could crush the child.

Using Uber with children

Children whose sitting height is less than 63 cm must be secured in a child safety seat appropriate for their weight and height.

When the new Highway Safety Code measure comes into effect in April 2019, children will have to be secured in a child safety seat until they are 9 years old or at least 145 cm tall.

Airbags and car seats

Car seats should never be installed on the front seat. Children aged 12 or younger should sit in the back seat.

If you have no choice but to place a child in the front seat (in a car seat or otherwise), you must:

• have the vehicle's airbag deactivated

AND

• push the passenger seat all the way back so that the child is as far away as possible from the dashboard

Winter coats and car seats

If a child's winter coat has not been sufficiently compressed, the straps will not be tight enough and will not restrain the child effectively in the event of a collision. The child could be hurt or thrown from the seat.

Each time you put your child in a car seat, make sure that your child is buckled in snugly by inserting a finger between the chest and the straps. If you have difficulty pushing your finger through, the straps are tight enough.

Check the adjustment at the hips and make sure that your child's coat doesn't bunch under the straps or behind his or her back.