Urgent! Car Seat?

Hi

We are leaving tomorrow for Miami with our kids (age 6 and 3). Originally, we were planning to take shuttle to go from hotel to the port in Miami. But now my husband tells me that there's a new law as of Jan 2015 that requires all kids to be in car seat even in commercial vehicles. And that it's parents' responsibility to provide a car seat.

So what can we do? What private car services or shuttle with car seats can you recommend?

All info will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi

 

We are leaving tomorrow for Miami with our kids (age 6 and 3). Originally, we were planning to take shuttle to go from hotel to the port in Miami. But now my husband tells me that there's a new law as of Jan 2015 that requires all kids to be in car seat even in commercial vehicles. And that it's parents' responsibility to provide a car seat.

 

So what can we do? What private car services or shuttle with car seats can you recommend?

 

All info will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

Have you called the hotel that is providing the shuttle? Are they requiring that you have a car seat? From the Florida law it looks like if the shuttle is considered a bus, the car seat isn't required.

Requirements from the Florida DMV website (http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/safety-laws.php):

• Children 5 years old or younger must be secured in a federally approved child restraint system.
  
  
• Children 3 years old and younger must use a separate car-seat or the vehicle's built-in child seat.
  
  
• Children 4 through 5 years must sit in either a separate car seat, a built in child seat or a seat belt, depending on the child's height and weight.
  
  
• Children 6 through 17 years old must be in a seatbelt.
  
  

According to the Florida Senate website (http://flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2014/316.613), this does not include buses for hire:

Specs of the law from the reiterate that it is the parent's responsibility not the driver's (for example, should a taxi driver agree to take a child without a car seat and an accident occurs):

You can bring your own car seats - the airline will check them for free if you do not use them on the flight.

Hi

 

We are leaving tomorrow for Miami with our kids (age 6 and 3). Originally, we were planning to take shuttle to go from hotel to the port in Miami. But now my husband tells me that there's a new law as of Jan 2015 that requires all kids to be in car seat even in commercial vehicles. And that it's parents' responsibility to provide a car seat.

 

So what can we do? What private car services or shuttle with car seats can you recommend?

 

All info will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

Aren't you using them on the flight anyway?

Yes, you'll need car seats.

There is no way in hell I'd get in any vehicle in Miami, they have the worst drivers in the world and many aren't insured or legal, with a child who wasn't restrained.

Aren't you using them on the flight anyway?

 

Yes, you'll need car seats.

 

There is no way in hell I'd get in any vehicle in Miami, they have the worst drivers in the world and many aren't insured or legal, with a child who wasn't restrained.

At the ages of the OP's children 6 & 3 I would opt to not use carseats on the plane...many other options...like the CARES system...etc...which are easier to fly with.

The beauty of message boards...one person says one thing and another says something different and at the end the question is still not answered.

also, if this went into effect Jan 2015 is it really a NEW law? :confused: I'd think being 11 months in, a quick phone call to whoever you are using for a shuttle service would be able to answer the question better than a bunch of random people on a message board.

Personally I think kids sit much better on a plane in their usual car seat...mine almost always sleeps this way.

I'd bring a car seat for the 3yo and a booster you can check for the 6yo. We're bringing a bubblebum for my 5.5y.o. this time.

Thanks for all the responses.

Yes, by law the kids needed car seat and private car services and taxis are exempt from providing car seat since it's parents' responsibility to provide one.

However, the buses are exempt from car seat law and shuttle bus counts as one.

So we were ok with shuttle bus that we arranged previously.

For post cruise trip, we will rent a car with car seats.

For future trips, we will be purchasing saferider vest thingie instead of car seat.

Thanks for all the responses.

 

Yes, by law the kids needed car seat and private car services and taxis are exempt from providing car seat since it's parents' responsibility to provide one.

 

However, the buses are exempt from car seat law and shuttle bus counts as one.

 

So we were ok with shuttle bus that we arranged previously.

 

For post cruise trip, we will rent a car with car seats.

 

For future trips, we will be purchasing saferider vest thingie instead of car seat.

Nice of you to come back and update us! Glad it all worked out for you.

Glad to see this as we are going out of Fort Lauderdale in 10 days. I will call the shuttle company we are set up with to double check. We have a private car on the return and they are providing a car seat.