So, we know that in Canada, one of the primary ways that children are hurt or killed in Canada is through unintentional injury, and especially motor vehicle collisions. And we also know that car seats save lives. And that properly used, a car seat can reduce the rate of injury or death by up to 71% for children. So, we know that it's really important, injury and unintentional injury, is the primary reason that children are hurt or killed in Canada, and that car seats are the solution.

Katherine Hutka

We want to see babies in the backseat, and we want to see them facing the rear of the car. But I hear that your question is really, do we want them on the side or in the middle? In some European countries, it's the norm to put babies in the front seat. So, it's important to always address that, the safest place for any child under 13 is in the backseat of the car. But when it comes to either the middle or the sides, statistically we know that the middle is the safest spot. You know, it's the furthest point from any intrusion or any collision point on a vehicle. But that said, you know, we know that what we're looking for is a safe installation. And so sometimes the middle seat may not always be a place where you can achieve a safe installation. Maybe there's a, like a hump there, or maybe the seat is very, very narrow and the car seat, you just can't get it installed snugly, you want to make sure that it's tight that it can't move more than one inch, where it's attached to the vehicle at the belt path. And sometimes that can be harder to achieve in some vehicles in the center seat. And we also know that many people have more than one child. So, I like to reassure parents that any spot in the backseat is a safe position for their child.

Katherine Hutka

We know that it is safe and safest for a child to stay rear-facing for as long as they still fit their larger rear-facing seat. And so that might be at two, until two years old. It could be until three years old, or it could even be until four years old and beyond. So, we now have rear-facing seats that go to 30 pounds, 35 pounds, 40 pounds, 45 pounds or even 50 pounds. So, we're looking at moving a child from that, that infant that rear-facing only seat until their next stage seat and then we want to keep them rear-facing for as long as they can still fit that car seat rear-facing.

Katherine Hutka