About car seat safety

Infants and children need car seats and booster seats to keep them safe. In a crash, these seats help spread the force of any impact across the strongest parts of their body.

Ontario Car Seat Law

Child car seats are required by law in Ontario. Child passenger safety enforcement falls under the Highway Traffic Act, REGULATION 613: SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES (external link).

What you need to know about car seat safety

Before buying

• Check the child’s height and weight.
• Check the expiry date or ‘useful’ life date on the seat.
• Choose a seat that currently fits your child, but with a higher height and weight range, for maximal use.
• Check for the Canadian National Safety Mark for use in Canada.

Keep in mind:

• The law is the minimum standard.
• For proper use, a car seat must correctly fit both the child and the vehicle.
• Consult your vehicle manual for proper installation and placement in your vehicle.

Second-hand Car Seats

Buying a second-hand car seat is not recommended. There are many unknown factors that can impact a child's safety, such as the car seat expiry date or whether the second-hand car seat has previously been involved in a collision.

Second-hand car seat safety (Transport Canada) (external link)

Choosing, Installing & Safe Use of Car Seats (Transport Canada)

The Transport Canada's car seat safety website (external link) has a page dedicated to child car seat safety. This page shares information about:

• Choosing a child car seat or booster seat (external link)
• Installing car and booster seats (external link)
• Safety alerts for child car seats (external link)
• Staying informed about car seat recalls (external link)
• Expiry dates on child car seats and booster seats (external link)

Additional Car Seat Resources

Disclaimer

The information on this website is meant to guide you to authoritative instruction and regulation about the choice and safe use of child car seats. The Region of Halton encourages you to go to the sources listed to learn about car seat safety. The Region of Halton does not take responsibility for your use of the information on this webpage. For safest results, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper installation and use of car seat and booster seat products.