To be safely protected in a vehicle, children must be properly secured in a child car seat, booster seat or seatbelt, depending on their height, weight and/or age. Research by the Ministry of Transportation shows that a correctly used child car seat can reduce the likelihood of injury or death by 75 percent.
As a driver, you are responsible for ensuring that passengers under 16 years of age are properly buckled into a seatbelt or child car seat. The fine for not using a child car seat as required by law is up to $500 plus two demerit points. In Ontario, parents, grandparents and caregivers are all required to use proper child car seats when transporting children.
Child car seats must meet Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS). Buckles and straps must be fastened according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Newer vehicles that come equipped with a lower anchorage or "ISOfix" system for securing a child car seat, do not require a seatbelt to secure the child car seat to the vehicle.
Infants that weigh less than nine kg or 20 lbs. must be buckled into a rear-facing child car seat attached to the vehicle by a seatbelt. Never put a rear-facing child car seat in a seat with an active airbag. If the airbag inflates, it could seriously injure the child.
Toddlers nine to 18 kg (20 to 40 lbs.) must be buckled into a child car seat attached to the vehicle by a tether strap at the top and at the base by a seatbelt or a Universal Anchorage System (UAS). Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing a child car seat in your vehicle.
Booster seats provide 60 percent more protection than seatbelts alone. These must be used by pre-school and primary grade-aged children who are under the age of eight and weigh 18 kg or more but less than 36 kg (40-80 lbs.), and who are less than 145 cm (4 feet, 9 inches) tall. Booster seats raise a child up so that the adult seatbelt works more effectively. If your vehicle has lap/shoulder belts, you must use a booster seat. The child’s head must be supported by the top of the booster or vehicle seat. The lap/shoulder belt should be worn so that the shoulder belt fits closely against the body, over the shoulder and across the chest and the lap belt sits firmly against the body and across the hips.
If your vehicle has lap belts only, secure the child by the lap belt only. Never use a lap belt alone with a booster seat.
Children may start using a seatbelt alone once any one of the following criteria is met:
- the child turns eight years old;
- the child weighs 36 kg (80 lbs) or more; or,
- the child is 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall or taller.
Do not place a child in a seating position in front of an air bag that is not turned off or cannot be turned off. The safest place for a child under age 12 is in the back seat.
Correct installation of a child car seat is key for ensuring a child’s safety. Your local public health unit is a good resource for finding out how to properly install a child car seat.
For more information on child car seats call MTO INFO at (416) 235-4686 (1-800-268-4686) or visit www.mto.gov.on.ca.
Note: Be careful if buying a used child car seat. Ensure that the seat comes with complete manufacturer’s instructions and all necessary equipment; does not show signs of deterioration; has not been in a collision; is not under recall; and, is not more than 10 years old.
Seatbelts and child car seats save lives
Seatbelts and child car seats reduce the risk of injury or death in collisions.
- Seatbelts help keep you inside and in control of the vehicle during a collision. People who are thrown from a vehicle have a much lower chance of surviving a collision.
- Seatbelts keep your head and body from hitting the inside of the vehicle or another person in the vehicle. When a vehicle hits a solid object, the people inside keep moving until something stops them. If you are not wearing your seatbelt, the steering wheel, windshield, dashboard or another person might be what stops you. This "human collision" often causes serious injury.
- Fire or sinking in water is rare in collisions. If it does happen, seatbelts help keep you conscious, giving you a chance to get out of the vehicle.
- In a sudden stop or swerve, no one can hold onto a child who is not in a seatbelt or child car seat. Infants or children who are not wearing seatbelts can be thrown against the vehicle’s interior, collide with other people or be ejected.
- When using a child car seat, make sure that the seat is tightly secured by the vehicle seatbelt or by the anchor bar with the ISOfix system. When installing the child car seat, press one knee into the seat and use your body weight to push it into the vehicle seat, then tighten the seatbelt as much as possible. The installed child car seat should move no more than 2.5 cm (1 inch) away from the vehicle seat back.
- Use a locking clip where needed to ensure that the seatbelt stays locked into position and will not develop slack during a collision.
- If a rear-facing child car seat does not rest at the proper 45-degree angle, then you can prop up the base of the seat with a towel or a Styrofoam bar ("pool noodle"). Eighty per cent of the base of a forward-facing car seat should be firmly supported by the vehicle seat.
