|
Below are the child restraint requirement for all
the Canadian provinces in an easy-to-read table format, gathered from various sources.
Please use with care and common sense, and always err on the side of safety.
The correct way to read the chart is to consider the
child's age and weight and height. Your child must exceed the age,
weight and height requirement in order to move to the next phase, unless
the child restraint system explicitly prohibit usage beyond a certain
weight/height limit. Notes:
- Age is inclusive. A child that is 4
years and 11 months is considered 4 years old.
- When rear-facing seat is not specifically
required by the law, refer to the car seat age and weight category for
more general requirement. - When
two categories (such as Yukon Territory in car seat and booster seat) have the
same requirement, you can choose the child restraint system of choice.
|
PROVINCE/TERRITORY |
REAR-FACING
AGE |
REAR-FACING
WEIGHT (kg) |
CAR SEAT
AGE |
CAR SEAT
WEIGHT (kg) |
CAR SEAT
HEIGHT |
BOOSTER
SEAT AGE |
BOOSTER
SEAT WEIGHT (kg) |
BOOSTER
HEIGHT (cm) |
MAXIMUM
FINE (Cdn $) / FIRST OFFENSE |
| Alberta |
- |
- |
<6 |
<18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| British
Columbia |
- |
0-9 |
- |
9-18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$109 |
| |
a lap-belt is required for children
over 18kg and less than 6 years old. |
| |
a lap-belt is required in place of a
car seat if driver is not parent or guardian. |
| British
Columbia (effective July 1,
2008) |
<1 |
0-9 |
>1 |
9-18 |
- |
<9 |
- |
<145 |
$109 |
| |
a lap-belt is required in place of
booster seat if shoulder harness is not available. |
| Manitoba |
- |
- |
<5 |
<50 lbs (<22.67kg) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$247 |
| New Brunswick |
- |
- |
<5 |
<18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| New Foundland
and Labrador |
- |
- |
<5 |
<18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| New Foundland
and Labrador (effecitve July
1, 2008) |
- |
- |
<5 |
<18 |
- |
<8 |
18-36 |
<145 |
- |
|
PROVINCE/TERRITORY |
REAR-FACING
AGE |
REAR-FACING
WEIGHT (kg) |
CAR SEAT
AGE |
CAR SEAT
WEIGHT (kg) |
CAR SEAT
HEIGHT |
BOOSTER
SEAT AGE |
BOOSTER
SEAT WEIGHT (kg) |
BOOSTER
HEIGHT (cm) |
MAXIMUM
FINE (Cdn $) / FIRST OFFENSE |
| Northwest
Territories |
- |
<9 |
- |
9-18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| |
a lap-belt is required in place of a
car seat if driver is not parent or guardian. |
| Nova Scotia |
<1 |
<10 |
1-9 |
10-18 |
- |
<9 |
>18 |
<145 |
$157.50 + pts |
| Nunavut |
- |
<9 |
- |
9-18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| |
a lap-belt is required in place of a
car seat if driver is not parent or guardian. |
| Ontario |
- |
<9 |
>1 |
9-18 |
- |
<8 |
18-36 |
<145 |
- |
| Prince Edward
Island |
- |
<9 |
- |
9-23 |
- |
- |
18-23 |
- |
- |
| Quebec |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| |
car seat and booster seat laws exist
but details not known. |
| Saskatchewan |
- |
<9 |
- |
9-18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Yukon
Territory |
- |
0-9 |
<7 |
9-22 |
- |
<7 |
18-22 |
- |
- |
|
PROVINCE/TERRITORY |
REAR-FACING
AGE |
REAR-FACING
WEIGHT (lbs.) |
CAR SEAT
AGE |
CAR SEAT
WEIGHT (lbs.) |
CAR SEAT
HEIGHT |
BOOSTER
SEAT AGE |
BOOSTER
SEAT WEIGHT (lbs.) |
BOOSTER
HEIGHT |
MAXIMUM
FINE / FIRST OFFENSE |
Canada has a national child restraint
recommendations from Transport Canada.
Below we list the details of the Canadian
recommendations for child restraint requirement and usage. They
are color-coded into four stages.
|
Stage One:
Rear-Facing Infant Seat
|
| When |
Use a rear-facing infant seat from
birth until your baby is about 1 year old.
The longer you use a rear-facing
infant seat that fits correctly, even past one year, the safer
your child will be in a crash. Check the infant seat label for
the weight and height limits and follow the infant seat
instructions for use.
|
| Why |
Babies have relatively large heads
and weak neck muscles. An infant seat cradles a babyâs head to
protect it against sudden stops or turns. Infant seats are
placed "backwards" so that in a collision, the back of the
infant seat takes the force of the impact. |
| Tips |
1. If you need to
attend to your baby, find a safe place to pull over and park.
2. Never ride with a
baby or a child in your arms or on your lap.
3. Do not put an
infant seat in a seat equipped with an air bag. Serious injuries
or death may result if the air bag inflates.
|
|
Stage Two:
Forward-Facing Child Seat
|
| When |
Use a forward-facing child seat from
10 kg (22 lb.) until 18 kg (40 lb.), generally from about age 1
to 4 1/2 years.
Some child seats can be used longer â until your child weighs
22 kg (48 lb.). Follow the guidelines in the instruction booklet
and on the label of your child seat.
|
| Why |
A properly installed forward-facing
child seat is safe and effective because its three different
parts work together. The harness absorbs the forward motion of
the child at the moment of impact. The vehicle seat belt or
Universal Anchorage System (UAS) keeps the base in place.
Finally, the tether strap secures the top of the child seat to
the vehicle. |
| Tips |
1. Make sure you use the tether
strap. 2. Read the
instruction booklet that comes with the child seat. Keep it
handy so you can refer to it as your child grows.
3. Donât rush to move your child
from a child seat to a booster seat.
|
|
Stage Three:
Booster Seat
|
| When |
Use a booster seat from 18 kg
(40 lb.), generally from about age 4 1/2 to 8 years.
Children are ready to use a booster
seat when they are over the maximum weight or height for their
child seat â but no sooner than this! Check the instruction
booklet of your booster seat for additional information.
|
| Why |
For this age group, booster seats
are the safest way to position a seat belt correctly over a
childâs body. An incorrectly positioned seat belt can cause a
child to be seriously injured or even killed in a sudden stop or
collision. |
| Tips |
1. Buckle an empty booster seat into
place or remove it from the vehicle. You donât want it to fly
around dangerously in a sudden stop or collision.
2. Never tuck the shoulder belt
behind the child or under the arm. Doing so could result in
serious injury or death.
3. Donât rush to move your child
from a booster seat to a vehicle seat belt.
|
|
Stage Four: Seat
Belt
|
| When |
Use the vehicle rear seat and seat
belt (ideally with a shoulder belt) from the time your child has
outgrown the booster seat, from about age 8.
Children at this stage are ready to
use the vehicle seat belt. Kids aged 12 or under, however, must
be seated in the rear of the vehicle â in the âKid Zoneâ.
|
| Why |
The lap and shoulder parts of the
seat belt work together to keep both the lower and upper body
secure in a sudden stop or collision. Seating your child in the
rear of the car, the âKid Zone,â keeps your young passenger
furthest away from a front-end collision â and as far away as
possible from the front-seat air bags, which can be dangerous
for kids 12 or under. |
| Tips |
1. Special kits are
available to have shoulder belts installed in most older
vehicles that lack them. Check with the vehicle manufacturer.
2. Set a good
example! Make sure you and all adults in the vehicle are also
properly belted.
3. Never tuck the
shoulder belt behind the child or under the arm. Doing so could
result in serious injury or death.
|
The authority on child safety in Canada is
Transport Canada. You can visit their websites for child safety
and tips at:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/childsafety/menu.htm
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp13511/menu.htm |
|
|
