«God forbid, if something unfortunate happens, if there is an accident or a sudden stop, the seat belt puts pressure on the areas where children can suffer internal injuries.» The correct use of a child restraint system or seat belt saves lives: Level 3: Booster seats. Booster seats ensure that the adult seat belt is positioned on the strongest bone in a child`s body. The lap belt is above the hips rather than the abdomen soft and vulnerable, and the shoulder strap is above the chest, preventing the upper body from advancing on impact. Regular seat belts can slip in smaller children, leading to serious injuries in an accident, he said. Provincial law requires the child to sit in a car seat until they are six years of age or older at 40 lbs (18 kg). Alberta does not have specific legislation for booster seats, but recommends that children stay in a booster seat until they are nine years of age or older than 80 lbs (36 kg). Your child should remain in their forward-facing seat until they weigh at least 18 kilograms (40 pounds) and have reached the level of maturity required to use a booster seat (usually in the range of five to seven years). Just because your child is wearing a seat belt or is strapped to a seat doesn`t mean you`re following the law. Alberta law requires appropriate use.
All car seats have age, weight and size requirements, as well as specifications for proper installation and use. All motor vehicles prescribe the correct fit of a seat belt, in the absence of which a child should use a booster seat. All owner`s manuals and vehicle safety labels warn that passengers under the age of 13 must always drive in the back seat. Alberta law requires all occupants travelling in a motor vehicle to use a seat belt or parental control that is properly worn and adjusted. The fine for not using a seat belt or child seat is $155. It is the driver`s responsibility to ensure that all passengers under the age of 16 are in an appropriate child restraint system or properly fasten their seat belts – otherwise this could result in a fine for each unbridled passenger. All children under the age of 18 kilograms (40 pounds) or under the age of six must use an appropriate child restraint system in a motor vehicle. Children are usually between nine and 11 years old if they wear an adult seat belt correctly, but this varies greatly from child to child and sometimes from vehicle to vehicle. The right seat belt fit is evaluated based on these criteria: Lindsay is a certified passenger safety technician for children and offers personal installation and training seats, car seat testing accessories, seminars and more. Learn more about carseatcubs.ca. Service available in French.
A good tip to help your older child reluctant to accept a booster seat is to choose a seat that transforms from a high-back booster to a lower-back booster seat. Hopefully, if your child feels «too old» for a car seat, it will help turn their seat into a more subtle back booster. There are also discreet boosters on the market for older children and satisfy them. As a newly trained Car Seat Safety Advocate and Child Passenger Safety Technician (CSTP), I was honoured to be chosen by the Government of Alberta to help parents keep our youngest Albertans safe on the road. You can protect your little ones by learning the law and current best practices. Too many parents in Alberta are getting their kids out of booster seats too early, according to a child safety group. «They don`t want to sit in the car seat. They want to be like their big brother or sister or mom and dad and sit in the regular seat. This is a time when we would tell parents that safety is non-negotiable.
It`s important for them to make it a rule. » Step 2: Forward-facing seats. Forward-facing seats with a five-point harness can be used until your child reaches the maximum height or weight set by the manufacturer. The maximum weight of seats sold in Canada is 29 kilograms (65 pounds), but check your specific seat, as some have lower limits. Remember that you are required by law to attach your forward-facing seats to your vehicle. Safe Kids Canada is an advocate for children who drive in car seats up to 4`9 inches (145 cm) tall, regardless of age or weight. The hardest part is getting these older children to sit in reminders, said Dr. Angelo Mikrogianakis of Alberta Children`s Hospital.
Level 4: Seat belt for adults. The key to deciding whether a child can safely sit with an adult seat belt is not so much age as height. The child must wear the adult`s seat belt to be protected. The CPST and the American Pediatric Association recommend that children back off at least until they are two years old, and you can continue to point your child back until they exceed the height and weight limits of their rear-facing seat. Step 1: Rear-facing seats. Rear-facing seats must be used at least until a child weighs one and at least 10 kilograms (22 pounds); This is the absolute minimum. Many manufacturers of child restraint systems have stricter requirements, including a minimum age of two years and a higher minimum weight. There is no reason to «graduate» your child from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat because they are turning one; Driving backwards offers extra protection and if their legs are bent in front of them, they are not at risk. The most important factor in the decision to put your child in a booster seat – once the minimum values of height, weight and age of the chosen seat are met – is their maturity.
Remember the part of Alberta`s law that requires «properly worn and adapted»? The job of a booster seat is to ensure that the seat belt is properly worn and fitted in children who are too small to use the seat belt of the vehicle alone. However, this also requires the cooperation of the child. While many booster seats on the market indicate a minimum age of four years, the Government of Alberta and CSTP recommend booster seats for children six years of age and older. Indeed, the child must be responsible enough to sit properly in his booster seat during the whole journey: no prevention, no seizure on the floor, no storage of the shoulder strap behind him, no random decision to unwind the booster seat. If you have any questions about your child restraint systems, please do not hesitate to contact a CPST certified by the Canadian Association for the Safety of Child Passengers. Compliance with the law means that you follow your child`s restraint and vehicle manuals.