Certain rules apply if you are travelling with your child in a motor home, vintage car, taxi or a vehicle comparable to a taxi.
The following vehicles are considered motor homes:
The Highway Safety Code requirements are the same regardless of whether children are riding in a car or in a motor home. Children who are less than 145 cm tall or who are younger than age 9 must be seated in a child safety seat that is appropriate for their weight and height. The law also specifies that such seats must be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
It is therefore important to check:
Subject to the information provided in the motor home and car seat owner’s manuals, here is some general guidance:
If the manufacturer has not equipped certain seats with seat belts, it is because they are not meant to be used during transportation. The Highway Safety Code prohibits carrying more passengers in a vehicle than there are seats equipped with seat belts. Seats that are not equipped with seat belts are not places where children can be seated or where a child safety seat can be installed.
The SAAQ authorizes the installation of additional seat belts only if the manufacturer originally designed the motor home to allow for this option and all required parts are installed by a dealer in compliance with the manufacturer’s specifications. The structure of the seats and the seat belt anchorages must have been designed and tested by the manufacturer to withstand the force generated by an occupant in the event of a crash. This is why it is sometimes impossible to add seat belts.
If you want to drive a vintage car and carry children less than 145 cm tall or younger than age 9, the law specifies that they must be seated in a child safety seat that is appropriate for their weight and height if the car is equipped with seat belts. However, depending on the characteristics of each type of car seat, it might be impossible to use a vintage car to transport a child.
Vintage cars are not equipped with anchors to attach universal anchorage system (UAS) connectors or car seat tether straps. In addition, vintage cars are usually not equipped with seat belts or only have 2-point seat belts (lap belt only).
In order to install a child safety seat in accordance with the laws in effect, you must always follow the instructions in the car seat owner’s manual. Here is some additional general guidance:
If the vintage car was built in or before 1973 and is not equipped with seat belts, you are exempted from the obligation to use a child safety seat (because it cannot be anchored to the vehicle).
When children who are less than 145 cm tall or under 9 years of age occupy a seat in a taxi, an automobile considered to be a taxi, or a police vehicle, the law provides an exception to the obligation to secure them in a car seat that is appropriate for their weight and height.
For safety reasons, it is always best and highly recommended to secure a child in a safety seat in any vehicle. However, in cases where this equipment is absent, such as in an emergency, a child is allowed to ride in a taxi, a vehicle comparable to a taxi, or a police vehicle without being seated in a child safety seat.
In this case, children are required to wear a seat belt unless they are unable to maintain an upright position.
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.
Last update: August 3, 2023