To the editor:
As a certified car-seat technician and technician trainer with St. John Ambulance I would like to respond to the questions of Ms. Larocque in her recent letter (Car Seat Quandary, March 7).
Contrary to what she was told, taxi cabs are exempt from using child restraint systems (CRS) by Transport Canada.
They are only legally required when using their cab for personal use or when under contract by school boards for transporting children.
If passengers would like their child in a child restraint system they must be prepared to not only provide it, but also install it themselves.
Neither the cab company nor the driver can be held responsible for this. I would also like to take this opportunity to remind parents and caregivers of some other CRS regulations.
Due to safety standards in Canada, it is illegal to purchase and use American CRS in Canada.
The CRS must have a CMVSS sticker on it to be legally used, this proves it was purchased in Canada. Also, car seats do expire and it is important that if you are using a seat for a second child that you check these dates.
The useful life of a CRS is between six to nine years; the infant carriers tend to be on the shorter end of the spectrum while the two-in-one and three-in-one seats tend to have a longer life.
Depending on the make, model and type of seat, these dates may vary and they often are dictated from date of manufacturing.
St. John Ambulance has a team of trained and certified car-seat technicians that often hold car-seat installation clinics to help parents and caregivers correctly install CRS in vehicles.
Should you have any questions or would like to be a part of one of these clinics please call St. John Ambulance at 345-1712.
Tessa Murray,
Car-seat technician and trainer, St. John Ambulance,
Thunder Bay
