The Facts

• A child under six years whose weight does not exceed 18 kg (40 lb.) must be properly secured in a child safety seat.
• All child passengers must be secured in an approved and properly used child safety seat, which is used and installed according to your vehicle and car seat manufacturer’s instructions.
• It is the driver’s legal responsibility to ensure that each passenger under the age of 16 years is properly secured in the vehicle. Drivers are subject to a fine for each child not properly secured.
• All seats used in Canada must have a label on them stating that the seat meets Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213.
• If a child safety seat has been involved in a collision, replace it immediately.
• The safest place for a child under 12 years is the back seat.

Common Errors

• Not securing a forward facing child safety seat with a tether strap and proper anchor
• Not using the appropriate child safety seat for the weight of the child
• Not having the child safety seat secured tight enough by the vehicle seat belt
• Not putting the chest clip at armpit level
• Not having the internal harness snug

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 Airbags and Children

If your vehicle is equipped with a passenger front-seat air bag with no shut off switch:

• Never install a rear facing child safety seat in the front seat.
• Children under the age of 12 should be seated in the back.

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Used Child Safety Seats

• Be sure you have a set of instructions for your child safety seat make and model.
• Check the child safety seat’s instructions to see that all the parts are included and are attached correctly.
• Do not use a child safety seat with cracks, warps or bending of the frame.
• It is not recommended to use seats older than 10 years. Some child safety seats may have an expiry date.

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Rear Facing - Range: Birth to 16 kg (Birth to 35 lb.)

Follow manufacturer’s instructions for use and installation.
A rear facing child safety seat is used correctly if:

• It is facing the rear of the vehicle.
• Vehicle seat belt or UAS/LATCH is routed correctly.
• It is not used in a position where there is a passenger front-seat air bag.
• Locking clip is used correctly when required.
• Chest clip is level with the child’s armpits.
• Internal harness is used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Internal harness should be even or slightly below the height of the child’s shoulder.
• Internal harness is snug. One finger should fit between the child’s collar bone and internal harness.
  

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Forward Facing - 9 to 18 kg (20 lb. to 40 lb.)

Follow manufacturer’s instructions for use and installation. A forward facing child safety seat is used correctly if:

• It is facing forward and in the upright position.
• Vehicle seat belt or UAS/LATCH is routed correctly through the proper guides behind the child safety seat.
• Locking clip is used correctly when required.
• Tether strap is hooked to the proper tether anchor located in the vehicle.
• Chest clip is level with the child’s armpits.
• Internal harness is used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Internal harness is snug. One finger should fit between the child’s collar bone and internal harness.
• Internal harness should be routed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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Combination - 9 to over 18 kg (20 lb. to over 40 lb.)

The combination of a forward facing child safety seat and a booster seat offers a wide weight range of 9 kg to over 18 kg (20 lb. to over 40 lb.).

This system includes a five point harness and tether. The internal harness should be even or above the height of the child’s shoulders.

When a child reaches 18 kg (40 lb.), you can remove the internal harness system and use the seat as a high back booster seat, as instructed by the manufacturer.

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Booster Seat - Over 18 kg (40 lb. plus)

It is recommended that at a minimum all child passengers under eight years of age who weigh less than 37 kg (80 lb.) should be in an approved and properly used booster seat while traveling in a motor vehicle.

If you choose the vehicle seat belt system, make sure it is worn the way it is designed to be used. The shoulder belt must be in front of the child, never behind the child or under the arm. The lap belt must be low over the hips.

Booster Seats

Belt Positioning Booster Seats help position the seat belt properly on a child’s body. The shoulder belt should lie across the middle of the child’s chest and the lap portion of the belt should touch the hips.

A simple booster seat is used correctly if:

• The lap belt position fits low across the hips and the shoulder belt is positioned across the chest.

A high back booster seat is used correctly if:

• It is used only with a lap/shoulder belt.

A shield booster seat is used correctly if:

• The lap belt is secured over the shield.

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Things You MUST Know

Universal Anchorage System (UAS) and Lower Anchorage and Tethers for children (LATCH):

UAS/LATCH is the new standardized system that makes installing a safety seat easier. When the UAS/LATCH is used a seat belt is not required. It has two parts; two lower anchors and one top tether in your vehicle and two UAS/LATCH attachments on the child safety seat and a top tether for the forward facing seats.

UAS/LATCH equipped seating positions will be identified by the symbol on the right. Check the owner’s manual for specific locations and instructions.

Locking Clip

A locking clip is required with a continuous loop seat belt or when the slotted attachment of a seat belt is free floating.

Tethering

All forward facing child safety seats must be secured by a top tether strap. The tether strap prevents the seat from moving forward in a collision. Refer to the child safety seat instructions and to your vehicle owner’s manual, or a vehicle dealership, for information on where and how to install the tether anchor.

Tethering Anchors

Some vehicles are equipped with user ready tether anchors identified by the following symbol.

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Keeping Your Child Happy in a Safety Seat

Just the thought of riding in the car with a child can make some parents nervous. Getting children to be quiet and content in their safety seats can seem to be an impossible task. Remember that you are buckling children up for their own safety should a crash occur. No amount of screaming or crying should persuade you not to use a safety seat. Here are some tips to help keep children content when riding in a vehicle:

1. Place your child in a safety seat from the very beginning. Children who ride in safety seats for every ride from the time they are born, are more likely to stay in their safety seats when they are toddlers and pre-schoolers. Starting the "buckle up" habit early will help the child view the safety seat as an important part of a ride in the car.

2. Be consistent. Buckle your child into the safety seat correctly for every ride, no matter how short the trip.

3. Set an example. Buckle your seat belt every time you get into the car. Point out to your child that you, too, buckle up.

4. Bring fun things for the child to do in the car. Have soft toys, activities, books or music in the car to keep the child busy.

   Change the toys often to keep your child's interest and store them safely so they won't fly and hit someone in a crash. You might think about having a few toys that your child plays with only in the car. This can make a car ride something the child looks forward to. Let young children put stickers, racing stripes or their names on their safety seats so they feel it's their own special place to sit.

5. Encourage the child to look out the window. Child safety seats raise children up and allow them to see out the window. Children are happier when they can see what's going on. Point things out to your child as you pass them. Ask the child to point interesting things out to you. For infants, tape bright, colourful pictures in the car to catch their eye.

6. Be firm with your child. Every child will try to get out of the safety seat at one time or another. If this happens while you are driving, pull over to the side of the road and stop the car. Tell the child to stay in the safety seat, then buckle the child back in. Do this each time so your child learns that neither of you will travel unbuckled.

7. For the child safety seat to provide protection, the shoulder straps must be snug and the chest clip, if necessary, must be at the level of the child's armpits for every ride. Check the harness and position the chest clip each time you place your child in the safety seat.

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Community Partners

Using a combination of education, enforcement and awareness, these partners are working together to bring attention to the serious consequences of misuse and non-use of child safety seats.

The Alberta Occupant Restraint Program is a provincial traffic safety program delivered by Regional Health Authorities and Alberta police services, supported by:

Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research Alberta Health & Wellness Alberta Transportation Insurance Bureau of Canada KIDSAFE Connection Municipal Police Services

Calgary Police Service Edmonton Police Service Regional Health Authorities Royal Canadian Mounted Police St. John Ambulance Transport Canada

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Download these pamphlets in a printer friendly version:
Child Safety Seats: Your Guide for Proper Use

For more information, contact:

• Your local Public Health Centre
• Alberta Transportation
  Tel: (780) 427-8901
  Toll Free: 310-0000
  or visit www.saferoads.com

For information on public notices and recalls, visit Transport Canada’s Web site at: www.tc.gc.ca

Updated June 2006