Child car seats in cabs!

[unruliejulie]

I was a bit shocked today when i rang for a taxi. I had my 3 year old son with me and i was inquiring as to whats what with regard to laws on child car seats. I was informed that taxis are exempt! I was very surprised after all the fuss that was made of children being a certain height before they dont need a car seat. It all seems a bit wrong to me, what is the differnce between a domestic car and a taxi as regards to having an accident.?

[notfrom-oz]

i think taxis are also exempt from carrying a licence also!!

[dot.hawkes]

I think that sounds wrong to me, the cabby should be responsible for his passengers, after all, if you had an accident hios insurance would pay, makes sense to provide a seat, they aren't that bulky and would surely fit in the boot somewhere

[oopsydoopsy]

yes, it is right uj. Minibuses also exempt.

[unruliejulie]

i know but doesnt it seem mad? I think a bus is different , it doesnt go that fast. How do you go on with a trip to the airport, down the motorway say?

[Panic Button]

I think it is because it is impractical to expect a taxi to supply them. They surely can't refuse you using your own though.

[Panic Button]

When I drive a bus I get it up to 50, and coaches are restricted to 62. Not much difference there is there?

[unruliejulie]

I guess not as regards the bus panicbutton.
Its not always practical to take your own car seat , what happens, for example, if you are going on holiday but need a cab to take you to the airport? I think it should be law that taxi firms should supply them if needed. just a thought. It still seems really silly to me that this government was so hot on the car seat rules but in a cab, your kids dont matter.

[oopsydoopsy]

Taxis cannot object to you using your own seat.
Speed, alas, is in the hands if the individual driver - I had a 52 seater coach full of secondary school kids up the arse of my car on Monday. The driver appeared little older than the passengers.

[oopsydoopsy]

Hey uj. This could be your huge oppo to make millions - an inflatable, disposable booster seat ;-D
No, I agree, it makes your child look almost worthless when using any form of public transport.

[unruliejulie]

oppsy, you could have something there but now you've gone and mentioned it on a public forum!!!!! DOH!!!! lol
and you're right, thats kind of how i felt, like kids dont matter in a taxi. They just seem 2 extreme rules in regards to each ohter.

[Madgirl2]

I have a taxi driver friend who says they are exempt because of the room the booster seats would take up. They would need to carry at least 3 (in case they were carrying an adult with several kids and would constantly have to remove them and store them in the boot (which may be needed for suitcases etc so room would be tight). Incidentally, taxi drivers are also exempt from wearing seatbelts (again due to their constant need to get in and out to help with wheelchairs, shopping etc). Personally, I think that safety should supersede convenience!!!!!

[bednobs]

why should taxi companies have to provide a car seat for every child it might ever be asked to carry, different sizes etc? I think its unreasonable to expect this ... parents who are worried can use their own car seats, or, in fact, their own car!

[dot.hawkes]

surely a booster seat could store away under the back seat of a taxi cab, even 3 would fit under there, or even under the drivers seat, storage is a lame excuse. And i have yet to see a taxi driver get out of a cab to help anyone, they sit there and take your money and drive off.

[dot.hawkes]

what if you need a cab home after being dropped off earl;ier, would you be expected to carry your own boostyer seat around the shops for a few hours?

[oopsydoopsy]

OFFS bednobs. Why do you think people use taxis?
Quite often because they do not have a car, I suspect - or for convenience. That is why people choose to pay taxi fares. It's hardly a huge effort or inconvenience for a company to pop a booster seat measuring a foot or so squared in the boot of a car.

[unruliejulie]

Bednobs, i dont drive and today i needed to fetch a weeks shopping for a family of 4. Our car seat goes from the age of 3 months to 11 years btw and maybe if the taxi fim made a habit of asking if any children would be needing a car seat, i dont see the problem as regards storage..

[Panic Button]

What if the child is too small for a booster seat (which incidentally are far too big to pop under a seat)

Do you want the taxi driver to magic up a full size car seat?

[enigma]

I'm still learning to drive , so I rely on public transport and on occasion , taxis. Anyone who has ever gone shopping with a young child in a buggy and another tagging along by their side knows that it would not be practical to carry a booster seat around with them. I'm quite lucky though in the respect that one of my local taxi firms supplies booster seats. They are not of course obliged to but choose to do so anyway. They are the only ones in my area that I know of who do so.

Incidentally , although taxis are exempt from the provision of booster seats , it would seem that the onus is still upon the parent to ensure that safety provisions are made for young children as a neighbour of mine was travelling in a taxi with her eight year old child and neither of them were wearing a seatbelt in the back. The police drew level with them at the traffic lights and asked the driver to roll down his window. When he did , apparently the police officer snapped at the driver to tell them to get their belts on asap. A lot of people seem to think that because the driver is exempt from wearing a seatbelt that they are too. This is not the case. My neighbour thought that because you don't have to wear a seatbelt on a bus , then the same applies to travelling in a taxi. I didn't quite understand the logic in that because if a seatbelt is provided , then why wouldn't you use it , especially for a child ?

[oopsydoopsy]

It is the taxi drivers responsibility to ensure that his passengers adhere to the seat belt law.
Panic. My booster seats fit under my car seats - it is the reason I bought them as I have a very impractical 2 door 2+2 sports car.

[bednobs]

i dont understand really why people HAVE to use taxis. before cars became so common and convienient, families managed, got their shopping closer to home, used the bus etc. In this day and age of internet shopping, i cant really see its a problem, !
disabled people have been having problems like this with public transport and taxis for years before the dda came it, yet they still managd to eat and shop. Anyway, thats a bit of a rant off topic there, i suppose its like a lot of things, unless they are compelled by law to provide a seat, they wnt do it!