 
Buckle Up Bears Car Seat Program
A program dedicated to the correct installation and use of child car seats.
About the Buckle Up Bears Program
Buckle Up Bears is a corporate and community partnership aimed at raising awareness of correct installation and use of car seats for children. Led by The Co-operators, the program is fuelled by the safety expertise and counsel of the Canada Safety Council and the Infant and Toddler Safety Association.
The program involves car seat inspection training for Co-operators staff and community partners, and the production and distribution of materials for parents and caregivers. These include growth charts, stickers, colouring sheets and a children's video. Trained inspectors go on to staff car seat inspection clinics and raise awareness in the broader community.
Why Car Seat Safety Is So Important
- Four out of every five kids are not correctly buckled up while riding in motor vehicles.
- Motor vehicle collisions are the number one cause of death for children ages
1 to 9.
- 75 percent of crash-related deaths and serious injuries can be prevented by the correct use of a child restraint on every trip
In Ontario, Transport Canada's Roadside Observational Child Restraint Use Survey found many child passengers travelling without the most basic protection.
Common errors included:
- 25 percent of infant car seats were not installed rear-facing
- 27.5 percent of forward-facing car seats were not tethered
- Restraint use was lowest for children from 5 to 9 years of age
Education on the correct installation and use of vehicle child restraints can help make families and communities safer.
Making a Difference
In 2005, through the Buckle Up Bears program, over 1,000 car seats were checked at 78 clinics. Almost 75 percent of car seats inspected were used and installed incorrectly. The Buckle Up Bears program continues to expand across
Canada reaching more and more communities.
Buckle Up Bears Growth Charts
As part of the Buckle Up Bears program, we have developed growth charts which contain valuable information on the various stages and sizes of car seats. If you would like to order these charts to promote car seat safety in your community please contact The Cooperators by e-mail.
Booster Seats
In
Ontario
starting
September 1, 2005
, it became mandatory for anyone transporting children to make sure they are properly secured in either an infant seat, child seat or booster seat. This applies to all caregivers, from babysitters to grandparents.
Booster seats are required for children under the age of eight or who weigh between 18 kg - 36 kg (40-80 lbs) or who stand less than 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall.
A child can start using a seatbelt alone once any one of the following criteria is met:
- child turns eight years old;
- child weighs 36 kg (80 pounds); or
- child is 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall.
The penalty is $90 and two demerit points for not complying with the law.
To dovetail with the Buckle Up Bears program, The Co-operators developed new booster seat materials and a Public Service Announcement in 15 and 30 second segments. These materials are used across
Canada
to demonstrate how booster seats save lives.
The booster seat materials aim to increase awareness of the consequences of not having children properly restrained in a booster seat. A poster, bookmark and educational DVD are designed with best practices in mind. To order booster seat materials, please visit the booster seat section of The Co-operators Web site.
For More Information
For information regarding children's car seat recalls visit Transport Canada's Web site.
For more information on the Buckle Up Bears program visit www.cooperators.ca.
Buckle Up Bears is sponsored by The Co-operators.
Updated January 2006
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