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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
New child car seat regulations that took affect Jan. 1 are intended to accommodate larger children and keep kids safer in the event of a motor vehicle collision.

Vyka Snodgrass, 3, sits snugly strapped in to her car seat. New manufacturing and testing regulations that came into effect on Jan. 1 aim to raise the quality of child seats bought and sold across the country. Older car seats do not necessarily need to be replaced, sources say, but users should be aware of the expiry date and must replace if the product is ever involved in a collision. - Daron Letts/NNSL photo

"There's no price you can put on a child's life," said Const. Todd Scaplen of RCMP G division traffic services.

While the new regulations are aimed at manufacturers and distributers, not parents, Yellowknife police remind parents that children are required to be appropriately restrained at all times while in a moving vehicle.

"That's one of those ones for me personally that I think is very important to enforce,” said Scaplen. “Even going at very slow speeds, a small child can become a projectile."

In the Northwest Territories, a driver who fails to secure a child properly receives a $230 fine and two demerit points.

The new legislation also recommends new, three-point harness restraint systems be used.

“This doesn't mean in any way that the old seats are inadequate," said Scaplen. "(However,) seats have an expiry date with them so (parents) should be cognizant of that. They also shouldn't buy second-hand seats."

Any child seat that has been in a collision – even a minor fender-bender – should be replaced immediately, said Scaplen.

Health Canada also warns against buying a used car seat. “Buying second-hand is not recommended because you're not particularly aware of the product’s history,” said Stephane Shank, senior advisor in media relations at Health Canada, which regulates the sale of child seats. Damage caused by a collision can sometimes not be seen even though the structural integrity of the seat may be compromised.

The new regulations also require that car seats produced after Jan. 1 accommodate heavier children than in the past. Seats made for infants must now accommodate children up to 10 kg, up from 9 kg. Other child seats must now hold an occupant of up to 30 kg, an increase from 22 kg.

The new regulations were to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2011 but manufacturers petitioned the government for more time to redesign and retool their products to fit the new guidelines.

Transport Canada makes sure that all child seats sold in Canada meet safety standards.

“Transport Canada buys child car seats from retail stores and conducts testing,” Patrick Charette, manager of media relations and monitoring for Transport Canada told Yellowknifer.

While the new regulations require all child seats to undergo more rigorous testing in order to be certified to sell in Canada, having the seat installed properly is required in order for the restraint to work in case of a collision.

“Depending on what stage a child has reached, caregivers need to learn how to install the infant seat, child seat or booster cushion,” said Charette.

While the Yellowknife fire department used to help residents install child seats in their vehicles, they stopped doing so about three years ago because it is outside of their mandate, said deputy chief Jason Davidson.

In Yellowknife, Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart are waiting for new car seats to arrive and Wal-Mart is selling the remainder of its current stock. "We've been notified that we have new things coming in the next couple of weeks," said assistant manager Lisa, who wouldn’t give her last name.

Canadian Tire has pulled all car seats from its shelves that do not abide by the new regulations but they still have some for sale even though they haven’t received a new shipment since the New Year, manager Mike Lalonde said.

"We don’t tend to move too many of them here," Lalonde said. "I think (car seats) are something a lot of people order online."

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