Using airport shuttle NO CAR SEAT???

[Julienatul]

I heard once from a transportation safety official that the reason motorcoaches and shuttles dont require car seats or seat belts is because of their weight/size and crash test results. Passengers are much less likely to be injured in a collision because of the size and weight of the vehicle and the high seat backs which provide compartmentalization. The person hitting the motorcoach will likely be injured but not the passengers of the motoecoach themselves. Buses and motorcoaches are 8 times safer than cars. Now taxi's and limos are a different story. Although it is every parents responsibility to do what they feel is best for their child.

[timandstaciejenner]

CruisinCutsie

 

just curious what you ended up doing? We will be cruising with a 3 year old and a 7 month old and DO NOT PLAN on bringing carseats either. So looking into what shuttle service/taxi has stuff available for us with no carseats. Our last cruise our 3 year old was 14 months old and then we had a shuttle bus that was free with our rental car but those are not avaiable in houston :(

[CanadianDee]

What a topic. Sometimes I get into arguments with my parents, who raised 5 kids. I get NO sympathy from them for raising 2. Yeah, but how many car seats did THEY have to install? :rolleyes:

 

I am all for safety, but am flexible enough to realize we don't live in a black and white world. I have flown in a plane with an infant or toddler lap child. I have ridden in a shuttle with a toddler on my lap. And every day, I put my kids on school busses that have NO seat belts.

 

This.

[Smiles33]

CruisinCutsie

 

just curious what you ended up doing? We will be cruising with a 3 year old and a 7 month old and DO NOT PLAN on bringing carseats either. So looking into what shuttle service/taxi has stuff available for us with no carseats. Our last cruise our 3 year old was 14 months old and then we had a shuttle bus that was free with our rental car but those are not avaiable in houston :(

 

I read this entire thread so I saw that OP stuck to her original plan and did not bring a carseat for her almost 2 year old. On the prior page she mentioned using Super Shuttle.

 

My own kids are 5 and 8 and we still bring Bubble Bum travel boosters for both, so I come down on the risk-averse side. I'm not going to condemn parents who choose otherwise, but I'm just not comfortable with that level of risk for my own children. I know it's a hassle and some people accept the presumably small risk to have their 2 or 3 year old ride unsecured in a vehicle. Yet I feel compelled to add that I think an infant just seems so much more vulnerable than a toddler. A 7 month old infant is still pretty tiny so unless you plan to wear him/her in a fabric baby carrier (which is pretty convenient, I must say), I think I'd still bring a carseat for the baby.

[mollyeilis]

The one question no one asked (in nearly 2 years of this thread) of all the people referring back to the old days where, apparently, we were all fine, was....and how many major car accidents were we, here, all in?

 

Not many, I imagine.

 

crusinmama06 was in one and was lucky. I'm so glad.

 

Many people aren't involved in this conversation because the lax laws, the lack of understanding of physics and cars, caused their deaths long ago.

 

My first stepdad's dad ran a filling station/garage in coastal CA. Stepdad worked there with his dad. And from what he saw, during those years of big cars and babies sitting on laps and kids in the way-back and no seatbelts at all for anyone, he was scarred emotionally for life. My mom bought a classic '55 Chevy, and the FIRST thing stepdad did, before rebuilding its engine, was to install lap belts. He didn't have to by law; it was grandfathered in. But he wasn't letting anyone drive or ride in that car unless there were seatbelts.

 

We don't get to be flippant about those who aren't here without actually thinking about what we are saying. We are here because most of us weren't involved in major car accidents as children before seatbelt and carseat laws were created/shored up.

 

 

*************************

 

Disney buses, some of them, have seatbelts. The drivers tell you not to use them and won't let you install carseats in them. They won't let you bring the seats on.

 

We didn't start cruising until DS was out of the carseat time of his life, and one of the reasons was this very issue. Didn't want to haul the seat around for shuttles, taxis, etc.

 

We did, however, take them on all shuttle *vans* and taxis he's been in. Even if the driver doesn't care (because HE won't get into trouble for it if we're in an accident), I would care. And my son would.

 

 

***********

Lap babies, especially older ones...shudder. Not even thinking about turbulence, but about our one experience with it. DS was 17 months old, big, strong, and curious. DH is a big guy and on a plane has no lap. It was all on me. My arms were shaking 4 hours later when we landed. I was sore for days. And then I had to deal with the idea of doing it again to go home, because we were so underbudgeted we couldn't afford the seat. So glad he had aged out of lap babyhood by the time we flew again!

[Cruisefeverfor3]

I have used South Florida Shuttles 4 times. They have offer me 2 car seats, the last time they even have a nice one Britax rear facing seat!! there is nothing like traveling with somebody reliable and affordable. I would recommend this guys 100% 954-227-0311 www.southfloridashuttles.com

good luck!!

[celle]

My daughter has a Trunki Backpack car seat for her little girl.

 

That worked well for them on their recent travels.

[chrishb]

Can we take the Alamo Shuttlebus from the Airport to POM without babyseat?

[flying-dutchman]

Dies anyone has experience with the Miami Beach Airport Express? We're also traveling with a 8 month boy and have no car seat. The bus sounds as quite a good option to go from the airport to Miami Beach. We will bring a buggy and two large suitcases.

[runnerodb83]

Just was looking up this information myself and the actual statutes of the state constitution provide an exception to the car seat for basically any method of transportation where you are paying someone else, either directly or indirectly, to drive you. Yes this is not in the best interest of safety for your children but you can't be fined for it.

 

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.613.html

 

Note that the first 5 sections are basically the law and the fines, and the 6th section at the bottom is the exception clause

 

"(6) The child restraint requirements imposed by this section do not apply to a chauffeur-driven taxi, limousine, sedan, van, bus, motor coach, or other passenger vehicle if the operator and the motor vehicle are hired and used for the transportation of persons for compensation. It is the obligation and responsibility of the parent, guardian, or other person responsible for a child’s welfare as defined in s. 39.01 to comply with the requirements of this section."

 

Disclaimer - I'm not a lawyer, and dont pretend to have a grasp of legalese, also, safety is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. That being said, it can be a challenge to find a hotel shuttle/van with seatbelts to attach a child seat.

[Debbers]

I . I know it's a hassle and some people accept the presumably small risk to have their 2 or 3 year old ride unsecured in a vehicle.

 

Yup, it's a hassle--like most other aspects of being a parent. We don't sign up for an easy time; we take on the responsibilities to protect and bring up our children as best we can--not in the easiest way possible. I salute you for continuing to use booster seats for your wee ones.

[trajan]

The one question no one asked (in nearly 2 years of this thread) of all the people referring back to the old days where, apparently, we were all fine, was....and how many major car accidents were we, here, all in?

 

Not many, I imagine.

 

crusinmama06 was in one and was lucky. I'm so glad.

 

Many people aren't involved in this conversation because the lax laws, the lack of understanding of physics and cars, caused their deaths long ago.

 

My first stepdad's dad ran a filling station/garage in coastal CA. Stepdad worked there with his dad. And from what he saw, during those years of big cars and babies sitting on laps and kids in the way-back and no seatbelts at all for anyone, he was scarred emotionally for life. My mom bought a classic '55 Chevy, and the FIRST thing stepdad did, before rebuilding its engine, was to install lap belts. He didn't have to by law; it was grandfathered in. But he wasn't letting anyone drive or ride in that car unless there were seatbelts.

 

We don't get to be flippant about those who aren't here without actually thinking about what we are saying. We are here because most of us weren't involved in major car accidents as children before seatbelt and carseat laws were created/shored up.

 

 

*************************

 

Disney buses, some of them, have seatbelts. The drivers tell you not to use them and won't let you install carseats in them. They won't let you bring the seats on.

 

We didn't start cruising until DS was out of the carseat time of his life, and one of the reasons was this very issue. Didn't want to haul the seat around for shuttles, taxis, etc.

 

We did, however, take them on all shuttle *vans* and taxis he's been in. Even if the driver doesn't care (because HE won't get into trouble for it if we're in an accident), I would care. And my son would.

 

 

***********

Lap babies, especially older ones...shudder. Not even thinking about turbulence, but about our one experience with it. DS was 17 months old, big, strong, and curious. DH is a big guy and on a plane has no lap. It was all on me. My arms were shaking 4 hours later when we landed. I was sore for days. And then I had to deal with the idea of doing it again to go home, because we were so underbudgeted we couldn't afford the seat. So glad he had aged out of lap babyhood by the time we flew again!

 

 

Great post.

 

Our kids are now DS 6 yrs and DD 14 months. We travel a lot and have traveled with their young cousins. I don't get the big deal of bringing along car seats and boosters are even easier. There are lots of good, lightweight seats out there and even folding ones.

 

And I think some people underestimate how much more dangerous driving is in some countries. I used to write travel advisories for the government. We'd go through all kinds of stats and the ones that jumped out over and over as especially significant were traffic deaths. Forget about stuff that the news liked to hype like violent crime or shark attack. The main threat to tourists in most areas is driving (actually IMHO the main threat is poor and slow emergency medical care but that's harder to measure and is based more on my opinion). And it's an omnipresent and inescapable escalation of risk; you can drive perfectly and the risk is elevated because you may be in a car built to Mexico's (I'd say) lax national safety standards so you are automatically at greater risk of death or injury in an accident that could be caused by another driver who on average over a given time period is 2-3 times more likely to cause an accident than their North American counterpart.

 

But I guess a lot of people don't like to think about this kind of stuff least of all when they are on vacation. Personally bringing what is essentially one extra suitcase per kid is easy and worth it.

 

 

 

 

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[timandstaciejenner]

I called the hotel that we are staying at prior to our upcoming cruise and asked about the car seat because I too did not want to bring mine. They told me that the shuttles do not accommodate car seats, so I would not be able to use it anyways, and most people just hold their child on their laps. Also I have a shuttle picking us up at the cruise port and bringing us to airport and they said the same thing. Just call your hotel and ask. Hope this helps.

 

 

What hotel did u stay at?

 

 

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[Jennilee17]

check and see if Uber Family is available. They have car seats

[6rugrats]

I realize this is an old thread, but the laws of physics haven't changed. Put your child in a car seat. Raising children isn't about your convenience.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/child_passenger_safety/cps-factsheet.html

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/05/05/no-car-seat-murder-charge/311988001/

 

http://www.today.com/health/mom-warns-about-car-seat-safety-after-daughter-nearly-sliced-t104541

 

http://www.kctv5.com/story/34939647/2-dead-2-injured-in-crash-at-12th-and-ewing

 

http://fox4kc.com/2017/03/17/two-children-killed-in-crash-after-driver-speeds-away-from-minor-fender-bender/

Edited May 14, 2017 by 6rugrats