Car seats in HK

Is there any law in HK requiring children to sit in child restraints? What do you do in taxis?

Where did you find the laws in HK concerning children and seat belts? I

think the law says you must wear a seatbelt, but what does it say for

babies and children? I don't think the law says you have to have a car seat

for your child.

Actually HK does have laws, they're just not enforced. I'm not sure about Taxis although passengers are legally required to buckle up. In car seats it is law to make sure that people travelling in your car are restrained properly. I'm pretty sure it was made legal a few years ago. But judging by the number of people you see with kids on their laps in the fronts or climbing about on the back seat they don't prosecute very much. Even if it wasn't law I would hope most people would strap their kids in out of common sense.

To Mummy - can you tell me where in Hong Kong I can find the Bebecomfort carseat that you mentioned? It sounds like a great idea.

A child restrained by the lap belt in the middle? I doubt if the seat belts were designed and tested with a child in mind. The safest standard would require a child restrained in a 5-point harness car-seat, or a booster seat for a child over 40 lbs. Always hold on to the child while in the taxi. You youself must be buckled up at least.

HK has no laws, so kids and babies can sit front and back. I've seen my

neighbour drive out of the carpark with her kid in her lap. In a taxi, you just

have to hold onto your baby - some taxi drivers are really inconsiderate -

speeding off before you can put on your seatbeat (have you tried putting

on the seatbelt with a baby in your arms in a moving taxi?) some people

suggest getting the sit and stroll that you can use as a stroller and then

convert to a car seat.

Some people buckle up the infant car seat in the taxi. But as they get bigger there's nothing you can really do in a taxi. I believe the best to do is to make sure that you are buckled up, and then you hold on to the kid tight. Don't fasten the seat belt on you and your kid on your lap at the same time, nor the kid alone on the seat as they are equally dangerous. The seat belt wasn't designed for such use.

Lucy - I think pedestrian crossing are extinct in HK - I think they realised it

was just a waste of paint and 2 light bulbs. It's not only the crossings, but

the amount of buses and cars that go through red lights is really bad,

particularly in high traffic pedestrian crossings.

OK, the law states that in taxis and private cars, people must wear

seatbelts that are fitted in these cars - front and back. Here is what the

Transport Dept recommends for children.


A child is considerably much safer when travelling in the rear seats of a

vehicle than in the front seats. You are therefore strongly advised to adopt

this practice when your children are travelling with you. If it is necessary

for them to travel in the front seats, there must be a suitable restaint for

them as required by law. Not just is it an offence to hold a child in your

arms or sit him/her on your lap in the front seats of a vehicle, in the

unfortunate event of an accident, the child may crash against the

dashboard or other fitting thus causing serious or fatal injury. A child of

two years of age or less when sitting at the front must be securely fastened

to the seat by means of an approved restraint for children. Children over

that age must wear a seat belt which can effectively restrain them.


Babies weighing under 9kg (20lb) who cannot sit up by themselves (about

12 months or less): They should be carried in the rear of the car lying

down in a carrycot (or infant carrier if the baby is smaller and less than 9

months) across the car with their heads in the middle of the car. The

carrycot should be held on the rear seat by special carrycot restraining

straps. If it is a carrycot made for use in a car, use the restraining straps

provided. If this is not possible, the cot should be placed on the floor,

wedged between the front and rear seats. A folded blanket will help to

level the floor or wedge the cot in place. Fasten a cover over the carrycot

to help stop the baby being thrown out. If it is a carrycot made for use in a

car, use the restraining straps provided.


Children weighing 9-18kg (20-40lb) who can sit up by themselves (about

9 months to 4 years):

A child safety seat is the best. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on

fixing the child seat to the car structure. The child should be held in the

seat by a harness.


Children weighing 15-36kg (35-80lb)

Either a child harness made of a lap strap and two shoulder straps; or a

booster together with ordinary seat belt, which also has an extra strap

running behind the child that acts as a guide to change the lie of the

diagonal belt.


FAQs for taxis:

Q: What should taxi passengers do when they take a child with them?

Should an adult passenger put the seat belt across the body of the child or

just hold the child with her arms?


A:

It is up to the parent to decide the best way to accommodate the child. If

the parents plan to take their child with them on a taxi journey, it is

advisable for them to carry with them an approved and appropriate child

restraint for fitted in the rear seat of taxis. Or if appropriate, the child may

wear the lap belt in the middle

link

As I interpret it, it means that kids under 2 have to be restrained only if a

restraining device is available in the car?


(3) Subject to regulation 8, no person shall drive a private car on any road

where there is in a rear seat-

a) a passenger of 2 years of age or less who is not securely fastened to

his seat by means of an approved restraining device for a young person if

such device is available for use;

4) An approved restraining device for a young person shall only be

considered to be available for use if one is fitted to the vehicle and it is not

being used by another passenger.