PMQ: FYI - Cross-border shopping for a car seat illegal

mauceddie

Not sure if you care, but throught I'd let you know...

FYI:

Cross-border shopping for a car seat illegal

Canadians who are taking advantage of the lofty loonie and doing some cross-border shopping should pass on making one key purchase in the U.S.: an infant or child car seat. That's because it is illegal to use a car seat bought outside of Canada.

 

Every country has its own child seat standards and Canadian regulations differ from those in the United States. For example, U.S. certified booster seats have a lower weight limit than Canadian standards.

 

Car seats bought outside of Canada don't meet standards set by Canada's Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Cushions Safety Regulations (RSSR) or those of the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS), and do not bear the National Safety Mark required in Canada.

 

The Toronto Police Services sent out a news release this week to remind drivers that police are required to confiscate any car seats bought outside of Canada. Drivers can also be issued fines and/or demerit point penalties. Border guards can also take away the seats.

 

Transport Canada points out that should a car seat bought outside of Canada be involved in a crash that results in injury or death, insurance coverage could be reduced or even voided completely. As well, the owner could face criminal charges and/or face a lawsuit.

 

What's more, if a recall notice is issued on the car seat bought outside of Canada, it's possible the parent or caregiver would not be informed of the recall, nor would they be able to qualify for a refund from the manufacturer.

 

When buying a child safety seat, Canadian parents and caregivers should ensure it bears the National Safety Mark label indicating it complies with Canadian regulations and standards.

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amiamish

HOLY SHIIT!!! that's insane.

mauceddie

PMQ:

Okay, thanks

 

I should add that I have friends who have all US carseats (they moved here from the US) and have never had any issues with being checked, etc.

breezee_bean

here in Calgary, they do car seat checkstops and check the stickers on the car seats, as well as making sure your child is in one, safety etc. 

bugmommy

This is the same in lots of countries.  Australia also prohibits car seats made out of the country even though Britax manufactures some of the exact same seats there (albeit under a different name).  However, some of the connections can be the different so that could be part of the problem.  I don't know if your cars use the same LATCH system as ours.  In Australia the top tether also connects to the ceiling of the car cabin instead of on the back of the seat the way they do in the US.  The UK connections were different to either Australia or the US. 

ETA: We've bought new carseats in every country we lived in because of the liability issue with insurance, even when I could tell the seat was exactly the same when installed with a seat belt.  So for 2 children I've owned 5 car seats at this point .