Manitoba toughens car-seat rules

Manitoba has introduced new rules about how parents have to strap their children into vehicles.

The province announced it was expanding its current car-seat law to require booster seats for children under 80 pounds or under four-foot-nine. Previous laws required children under five years old or under 50 pounds to be restrained in a booster seat.

Provincial officials said the move was necessary because under 80 pounds, kids are too small to rely on seatbelts.

"The spinal cord injuries that we see at Children’s [Hospital] -- half of them are due to MVC’s [motor vehicle collisions], and 90 per cent of those were children that were either not restrained at all or not properly restrained," said Dr. Lynne Warda, a medical consultant for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s injury prevention program.

She said if smaller children aren’t strapped into booster seats, crashes cause serious injuries or even prove fatal.

"When they’re in a collision that cuts into their abdomen and causes spinal cord injuries, severe abdominal internal injuries that can cause lifelong consequences," said Warda.

If parents don’t comply with the new regulations, set to take effect next month, they’ll be slapped with a $300 fine. Until then, drivers will be let off with a warning.