New car seat laws are coming to BC

[usquebaugh]

New car seat laws are coming to BC
Updated: Mon Jun. 30 2008 15:01:14

ctvbc.ca

Parents driving their kids to Canada Day events on Tuesday will have to make sure they are properly secured in the car under a new law that requires children up to the age of nine to use a booster seat.

And if parents don't follow the new rules, they'll face a $109 fine.

"It's fabulous if it helps save lives and helps prevent injuries," said Mariane Salvail, whose five-year-old son Sam will sit in a booster seat on Tuesday.

Previously, children in B.C. could outgrow infant car seats at 40 pounds and move to regular seat belts.

But now, those children must sit in a booster seat until they are either four years old or four feet, nine inches tall, no matter how much they might weigh.

Infants must be rear-facing until at least 12 months old, and a weight of 20 pounds.

After that, a child seat must be used until the child weighs 40 pounds.

Ultimately the driver is responsible, whether or not they are related to the child.

One of the new rules is that an exemption for rental cars has been removed.

CTV News tested several rental cars from a variety of rental car companies to see if they were ready for the change -- or if the rental seats you were renting could expose you to the fine.

It turned out that all were technically safe to use, whether or not you might want to.

We found one booster seat whose plastic edge had been mangled, and it was missing a shoulder adjustment strap.

"If this was a garage sale I probably wouldn't buy it," said Marg Diebert of the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation as she inspected the seats.

It wasn't clear where many of the seats had been, she said, and one seat had nearly reached its ten-year expiry date on the back.

It's hard to tell if the seats have been in an accident, she said.

"If you don't know what the history of the seat is, don't buy it, don't use it," said the BCAA's David Dunne.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Sarah Galashan

Tomorrow, we compare the new seat laws to those across the country.

[zzontar]

In Canada, approved child seats are tested up to speeds of only 30km/hr! I think that has to change.

[ralphrob]

New car seat laws are coming to BC
But now, those children must sit in a booster seat until they are either four years old or four feet, nine inches tall, no matter how much they might weigh.

Actually they must be in booster until they are 9 years old or 4'9"

[whitecandle]

Ontario implemented the child seat restraint system in 2005 and police, health agencies, and many insurance companies held free clinics on how to properly install car seats and booster seats.

This is the guideline for what they classify pre-school to 8 years of age.

The law requires booster seats for children who have outgrown a child car seat but are too small for a regular seat belt.

Booster seats are required for children under the age of eight, weighing 18 kg or more but less than 36 kg (40-80 lbs) and who stand less than 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall.

A child can start using a seatbelt alone once any one of the following criteria is met:
• child turns eight years old
• child weighs 36 kg (80 lbs.)
• child is 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall.

A lap and shoulder combination belt must be used with all booster seats. Your child’s head must be supported by the top of the booster, vehicle seat or headrest. The shoulder strap must lie across the child’s shoulder (not the neck or face) and middle of the chest, and the lap belt must cross low over the hips (not the stomach/abdomen). Never use seatbelt adjusters.

Complete law is below:
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety ... choose.htm

[usquebaugh]

New car seat laws are coming to BC
But now, those children must sit in a booster seat until they are either four years old or four feet, nine inches tall, no matter how much they might weigh.

Actually they must be in booster until they are 9 years old or 4'9"

I was only quoting the news story, so they must've gotten it wrong! I just copied and pasted this, after seeing it on the news.

[outcastrc]

I took a large trip last summer and knowing that this law was coming anyways I tried everything to get proper seats into the wife's van. (there are no shoulder belts in the back) Every booster seat requires a shoulder belt. I tried every option I could think of and the only answer I was given was buy a newer car. Not going to happen any time soon. Keeping a house over our heads is more important then another car payment.

It looks like there are no provisions for older vehicles. Child seats to deal with the problem don't exist and why would they make them for a single province.

Even according to ICBC it says that if no seat exists for the situation to deal with weight or height an exemption has to be requested by a medical examiner. You have got to be kidding me!!! At least make the law possible to follow! Even they admit that child seats don't exist for the older kids. I know car seats don't exist for older vehicles (unless something has changed)

So I guess as of today my 4 current Child seats are garbage and as there's no seat available to satisfy this law I'll just take the tickets as they come. As will hundreds of other families.

[outcastrc]

After a lot of digging I have found a line on a ICBC file that is interesting.

If there is no lap/shoulder belt, your child must be secured by a lap belt without a booster seat.

http://www.icbc.com/road_safety/pdf/chi ... _years.pdf

That's new... I'll be digging a bit deeper into it to find out for sure...

[Joylynn]

I don't remember voting for this but it seems there are going to be new booster seat laws for 9 and under?? In fact this is the first I have heard of it and it is going to be implimented today. Hurray for the big bucks the booster seat complanies are going to make.

Can they not see how embarrising and humiliating this is going to be to a child of that age? I mean I can just picture my "all boy" grandson in a booster seat and liking it... NOT!!

I know, I know the statistics:

Booster seats reduce the risk of serious injuries and fatalities by 60 per cent, said David Dunne, director of provincial programs for the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation

On average, 860 child passengers five to nine years old are seriously injured every year and five are killed, according to the latest figures from the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety.

I would like to know what part of the population they used for their study. 860 out of how many? 5 out of how many? I am really upset about this. I don't think the numbers warrent the law.

My grandkids are coming to visit and now I have to go and buy a booster seat so I can pick them up at the airport. He is NOT going to be too impressed.

[damngrumpy]

Sometimes I can't believe the comments I read on here, things like I don't remember voting for this. As if the government need permission for every piece of legislation they introduce. We either elect governments or we don't depending on the platform they put forward, and everything else they do is up to them until the next election. The seat belt law, like the carbon tax was probably written on the back of a coffee shop napkin with a note to fill out the details later.
This government is pretty much like the people that elected them. They have no plan really, they just react to what they think people want at the moment, attempting to create the illusion that they the government has an instant solution. Everything these guys do is filled with holes that don't make sense and in some cases the laws are difficult to enforce.
Bike helmuts, passed a law, people ignore it, and they ignore the ticket they get. Under age smoking. The youth ignore it and for the most part so do the police because policing has better things to do. There will be a big rush, like seat belt laws attempting to write as many tickets as possile in the short term, and the people having to pay the fines will then not be able to afford the booster seat. For the most part, I agree that children should be protected from the serious problems associated with injury from accidents. The problem is a poorly drafted law is often worse than no law at all. The problem is they had a long time to prepare something that is still flawled.

[Likesbooks678]

I just have one question. When did we let the government start running our lives to the point of taking all the decision making away from us?

[usquebaugh]

This government is pretty much like the people that elected them.

So those of us who didn't vote for the BC Libs are off the hook?!

[Triple 6]

This confuses me... My stepmonster is 9 (just) is maybe 4'7 and weights 53 pounds! So she does not have to be in a booster seat ? Yet with the measurements I just provided you'd think she should be in one, due to her weight?

What difference does age make? I know 7 year olds bigger that mine?

We still have her in a car/booster/seat bacause of her weight.

[Nebula]

Trip, tell her to start eating lots of donuts and she can for sure be out of the booster seat. Unless she has brown hair... then she has to be in one. Unless she has crooked teeth, which is okay and she doesn't... unless she's under 4'9 and has donut glaze on her cheeks.

[Nebula]

Actually, I caught a web posted Vancouver Sun article this afternoon that had me chuckling. Here's a segment:

Starting July 1, all children over 40 pounds (nine kilograms) are required to be in booster seats...

According to my math:

* 40 pounds = 18.14 kilograms, not nine
* nine kilograms = 19.84 pounds, not 40

Um, so which is it?

Then there was this:

Under the new law, infants that are under 40 pounds must be in a rear-facing baby seat until they are either one year old, or big enough for a booster seat.

Um, gee, how many infants out there weigh 39.73 pounds? Maybe Sumo Boy but, wow, infants under 40 pounds? I don't think I've ever met a 40 pound infant.

[Triple 6]

Trip, tell her to start eating lots of donuts and she can for sure be out of the booster seat. Unless she has brown hair... then she has to be in one. Unless she has crooked teeth, which is okay and she doesn't... unless she's under 4'9 and has donut glaze on her cheeks.

Well she has brown hair, so booster seat it is... As for donuts, that kids eats and eats and cannot put on a pound! Sometimes I'm envious!

So booster seat or not? Argghhh....