March Break is just a few short weeks away, which can only mean one thing: You're scrambling to plan a last minute family vacation! If you haven't booked your March Break car rental yet, don't worry – Car Rental Express has you covered. Check out our independent car rental comparison tool to secure an affordable rental vehicle for your family getaway.
Don't Forget About Safety
Don't let last minute planning prevent you from making smart travel decisions for your family. Whether you're traveling by plane, train, or automobile, it's important that you take the time to consider your travel arrangements carefully. Which brings us to today's blog post topic: car rental booster seats.
Child Restraints and Your Car Rental
We all know the importance of buckling up when behind the wheel. But did you know that seatbelts aren't designed as one-size-fits all? From a safety perspective, school-aged children simply aren't big enough for adult restraints. Luckily, there are many child booster seats and restraints on the market that are designed to improve the safety and comfort of your child when traveling by car.
Understanding Child Restraints
If you'll be bringing an infant along on your March Break vacation, it's important that you make arrangements for an infant car seat. While most car rental companies offer infant car seats for hire, it's important that you book one in advance. Most locations will only have two or three on hand, so failing to reserve yours in advance could lead to disaster. If you don't want to rent a car seat you can also bring your own. This article provides great advice for how to bring a booster seat on a plane.
While the law for infant restraints varies by state, it is a general rule of thumb that children under the age of six months should always be placed in a properly fastened and adjusted rear-facing infant car car seat (sometimes referred to as a capsule).
Once your child has outgrown the capsule, it's time to upgrade to a rear-facing safety seat with its own restraint system. It's recommended to keep your child facing the rear of your car rental until he or she is a year old and weighs approximately 20 lbs. Once you've hit this milestone, you should be able to safely turn your child safety seat to face the front of the vehicle. This type of safety seat should be used until the child is at least 4 years old (or approximately 40 lbs.).
A booster seat is for children between the ages of 4 and 7. These seats are designed to use the adult seat lap-sash belt system in your car rental to properly restrain your growing child.
It's important to note that the state laws don't necessarily represent the best practices for child car seat use. CRX recommends that you follow the laws of the state or province that you are traveling in as a minimum requirement. Children should use a booster seat until they weigh somewhere between 80 and 100 lbs., and are about 4' 9" tall.
Why Booster Seats are Necessary
Car seats and booster seats are designed to make your child comfortable and protect them in the case of an accident. This is because booster seats are designed to lift your child up so that the adult lap-sash system fits correctly across the bony areas of their body (the hips and collarbone). Putting a child in an adult seat belt before they are physically big enough could put them at risk for serious injuries or even death. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in children ages 2 to 14 in the United States.
Make sure your March Break travel plans include a healthy helping of safety. Contact your car rental company of choice to reserve your car rental infant seat or booster seat today.