Safety

Car seats

August 28, 2011

If your child is over 9 kilos (20 pounds) or 66 centimetres (26 inches), but his tonus is still weak, put him in a child car seat. You must also place that seat towards the back of your car and install it as you would install a newborn seat. Make sure the child seat is also designed to go backwards.

Child seat

This seat is designed for children from 9 to 18 kilos (20 to 40 pounds) and 66 to 102 centimetres (26 to 40 inches). Several designs are available, among them some that can transform into a booster seat, saving you that purchase in a few years. Since the child is now older and this seat will be used for a longer period than the newborn seat, look for a seat with a dark and easy-to-remove cover that will be easier to wash.

When the seat is installed properly, it can reduce risks of death and serious injuries by up to 70%.
Installation

If you don’t have other children to carry in the vehicle, place the seat facing forward in the middle of the back seat. It’s the safest position in case of an impact. Otherwise, choose the side that will allow you to see the child best, either with the rear-view mirror or by slightly turning your head. Don't forget that your attention must remain on the road even if the child is throwing a fit to get your attention.

The car seat must absolutely be attached to the vehicle with an anchoring strap securely attached to a bolt on a metallic car part. Your mechanic can install one if your car doesn't have one already. This strap will prevent the top of the seat to flip over forward upon impact. Even if it is attached to the universal anchoring system, the seat must still be held back by the anchoring strap.

Also fasten the seat with the safety belt by making it go through the child seat, which will make it even safer. To hold it tight, put a knee in the child seat to push it against the backrest and then tighten the belt as much as you can. The seat should barely move.

When the child is sitting in his seat, put the harnesses in the seat's notches located just above his shoulders.

Next, lock the metal strap in the buckle and make sure that the shoulder harness is tight around the child's body (only one finger should fit between) and that the chest clip linking them is at armpit level.

Today, 0,1% of children are not protected either by a child seat or a safety belt.
Booster seat

The booster seat is designed for children heavier than 18 kilos (40 pounds) and must be used until the child is at least 63 centimetres tall when sitting, from the bum to the top of the head. It is required by law.

It is used to make the child taller so he can adequately use an adult safety belt. The booster seat allows you to place the belt on the child's hips rather than on the stomach, and the shoulder safety belt must also run across his clavicle rather than his neck.  Important: never place the shoulder safety belt behind the child or under his arm.

Safety belt

When the child is taller than 63 centimetres sitting down, he no longer needs the booster seat. The trick to safely use the belt is to place the lap belt as low as possible on the hips, so that it is above the thighs to avoid any stomach or spinal cord injury. The shoulder safety belt must go above the shoulder, across the chest and lock at the hip.

Used car seats

We advise against getting a used car seat unless you know how it was used.

To know more
Traveling by car with children

A car trip with children isn’t always easy! We explore the safety rules to follow and share tips and tricks you can use along the way to distract them and to ensure you have a great trip!

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The holidays rhyme with long road trips. Here are a few pieces of advice to avoid nodding off while driving.

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What is this “Baby on board” sign all about? Is it protecting us from bad drivers or is it the other way around? Because we enjoy laughing at ourselves, we wrote this list of common distractions that make us moms awful drivers.

Road safety and our children

Each year in Quebec, around 1,250 car passengers aged 9 years or under, die or are injured in car accidents1.


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