Comments on: Car Seat Calamity

By: Johanna Baker-Dowdell

Johanna Baker-Dowdell — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:59:39 +0000

I wish I could say I was surprised by these comments about taxis and child seats/restraints but I’m not because many people have told me similar stories.

So many of us aren’t sure what the right seat is for their older children and if the industry doesn’t have the solution what does it mean for us?

By: neen

neen — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:00:25 +0000

In January 2010 I purchased a Hi Liner for my 5 year old as we had some extra cash thought I would think ahead. My 3 yr old wasn’t going to last that much longer in his baby car seat & would need to go into the Maxi rider which my 5 yr old was in at that stage.
In June 2010 I decided to do the change over & went back to approved fitting station where I purchased the seat to get the seat fitted.This was free & part of the service they gave when you bought the seat from them.
I was asked how much my 5.5yr son weighed & told them he weighs 24.5kg.
I was told that the Hi Liner & all booster seats are only approved to the weight of 26kg & after that weight the seat would not be safe for him to use.
Assuming that he will probably put on 1.5kgs before he reaches the age of 7.I said to them what will I do as this is the law.
I was told that the car seat industry hasn’t been able to keep up with the law & as yet don’t have a approved seat for a over 26kg child that is under the age of 7.Then she shrugged her shoulders & procceded to finish installing the seat.
He is 6 in 2 months & hasn’t reached the 26kg yet I guess I’ll figure it out when & if it happens.

By: upset

upset — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:49:06 +0000

Townsville (Qld) taxis are a joke. We went to Townsville and needed a taxi with 3 carseats. We called in advance to book, and were told we could not book a maxi taxi, only a regular taxi, and that we would have to wait until there was a maxi taxi available at the airport.
We asked about carseats and were told to look on the website. This is what I found on the Townsville taxis website:
“Due to health and safety reasons, Townsville Taxis do not currently supply baby capsules/child restraints. However our taxis have bolts installed for passengers to use their own if they wish.

In Australia, it is legal for an infant to travel on the lap of an adult (up to approx 2 years or age or 11 kg’s), provided they are seated in the back of the taxi.”

What a joke, how can not using a car seat be safer than using one???

By: gr82do

gr82do — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:42:33 +0000

Try getting a Qld taxi with a carseat. We booked one to go from the airport to the ferry terminal, and it arrived with no carseat. We had to hold our 1 year old and the driver said not to worry. Most taxis have no carseat option!

By: Coast Kids

Coast Kids — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:15:52 +0000

The RTA has a great information booth at the Royal Easter Show this year. If you are going it is worth checking out as the staff explain the new laws and measure and weight your children so you know exactly which seat your child should be in.