Canada gets new car seat safety laws
Canada has updated its child car seat safety regulations. The new regulations came into force on January 1, 2012.
“As a mom, I want to have confidence that my child is secured in the safest car seat available,” said Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq. “When these new regulations [that came] into force on January 1, child car seats sold in Canada will meet Canada’s highest testing standards and therefore will be as safe as possible.”
The updated regulations are part of a regular process of reviewing child safety standards while using the most up-to-date technology available for testing. The updates include aligning elements with those in the United States and incorporating specific Canadian testing requirements. The major changes include:
- a new testing requirement using a three-point seatbelt to secure car seats in vehicles;
- changes to child seats’ dynamic testing to adopt most of the U.S. testing parameters;
- changing the definition of an infant from 9 kg to 10 kg (from 19.8 pounds to 22 pounds);
- an increase in the maximum allowable weight limit of child seats from 22 kg to 30 kg (from 48.4 pounds to 66 pounds);
- introducing dynamic testing requirements for booster seats; and
- allowing harnesses to be certified for use on school buses by special needs children.
There is no need to replace a child seat as a result of these new standards. However, a child car seat should be replaced if it was installed in a vehicle involved in a collision. If the shell or materials on the seat are ripped or damaged, it should be replaced. Parents should also check the expiry date of the seat and be sure to replace it when it reaches that date.
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