As a professional driver, you may be hired to transport passengers of all ages. This means that you are ultimately responsible for adhering to the provision of child car seats in your private passenger vehicle, which can include both baby seats and booster seats.
If a passenger brings and installs their own car seat for their child, you, as the car service, aren’t held responsible under the Highway Traffic Act. However, if you provide and install child car seats as an additional service, follow the requirements outlined under the Highway Traffic Act. This additional service is arranged when a parent or guardian provides information about a child prior to pick up, such as height, weight, and age.
The risks of providing passengers with a child car seat
Passengers rely on you to provide suitable child car seats and to have the proper training to install child car seats safely and securely. By supplying child car seats as an insured party, you face a liability loss exposure and assume responsibility. This means if you were to get into an accident, or there was damage to your car of some sort due to the car seat, the costs associated will fall to you.
However, as the child car seat service is a selling point to passengers travelling with infants and young children, you may choose to offer this service. If you do, you can control exposures by practicing safety measures before and during your trip.
Safety measures and precautions you can take
As driving with a child car seat can open you up to liability losses, here are some precautions you can take for a safer drive:
- Ask the child’s parent or guardian to fill out a consent form. This form should include information on the child that will help you to select the proper car seat, such as age and weight. Refer to this file when selecting the correct child car seat and preparing for installation.
- Before embarking on your ride, and after your ride has finished, make sure to clean and sanitize child car seats and seatbelts in order to keep them in good condition.
- For tips on how to properly install a child car seat in your vehicle, or best practices on how you can choose the right car seat for a child, refer to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) website. Consider printing out this information and keeping a copy of it in your vehicle so you can refer to it when needed. If you manage a fleet, also provide these documents to each driver so that they can also reference important safety tips and procedures.
- If you manage a fleet of drivers, train them on how to safely and properly install child car seats. Visit the Transport Canada website to learn the importance of properly installing child car seats, and the risks of not doing so.
- Consider enrolling your fleet in a child car seat clinic. These clinics provide training sessions on installing child car seats, positioning a child in the seat, and applying the appropriate restraints such as seat belts.
- Educate yourself and your fleet on the laws of child car seats in Canada. For example, it is important to be aware that child car seats manufactured for sale in Canada must have a Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) label on the seat. The CMVSS label is the manufacturer’s certification that a child car seat meets all applicable regulations in effect at the time the car seat was manufactured.
- If you engage in cross-border driving, or have members of your fleet that also drive out of the country, make sure that you purchase your child car seats in Canada only, as the Canadian safety standards differ from other countries.
- Check the expiry date on your child car seat and make note of the date listed. The majority of child car seats have an expiry date ranging from 5-9 years. Recycle or destroy child car seats after their manufacturer’s recommended expiry date, and make sure to formalize this requirement in a policy for all of your drivers.
- If the car seat you currently have is damaged or involved in an accident, make sure that you replace it immediately.
- Every so often, check the make and model of your child car seats on Transport Canada’s Motor Vehicle Safety Recalls Database to see if they have been recalled or if any defects have been found.
Ensure that you’re protected
Despite all of your preparation and the precautions you have taken, sometimes things can still go wrong. That’s when insurance can be helpful. To learn more about how a tailored policy can help protect you, your business, your employees, and your bottom line, visit our Passenger Transport Services Insurance page today!
