taxi rides

C

carmenlotusfeet

Registered User
Bubs is approaching six months, am planning to use just stroller and not car-seat/stroller combo. What happens when baby goes in taxi ? Do I need to use Bjorn as well ? Can't really strap a seat-belt around bubs right as she can barely sit up right by herself ? What is the law and what to do ?
 
Hi Coco,

Baby Bjorns are not advisable to be used when riding in vehicles. Because if there is a hard impact, the weight of the adult's body will push the child forward and crush him/her on the dashboard or back seat. Likewise when you use a normal car seat belt on yourself with your baby on your lap at the same time.

For your child's age (6 months) it is best to use the "sit and stroll" which is a car seat and stroller combo. Once your child becomes a little older around a year old) he/she can progress to use the Joeysafe which is a portable 5 point child seat belt.

Hope this helps!

Tisha
 
I just hold my child tight on my laps or breastfeed her so that she won't wriggle too much in the taxi. Sometimes I will put the seat belt on myself and sometimes not (whenever I am breastfeeding)

If I think the taxi driver is driving too fast, I will ask him politely to slow down.

I tried to use seat belt on my child but it is not practical. We need to be quick enough to get into the taxi (after struggling putting the pushchair, baby bag, shopping bags, shoes, umbrella, food,...etc) and the taxi driver won't wait for us to sit properly. Besides, our taxi journey usually just take about 15 minutes.
 
We alway used the baby carrier (like a bjorn) with the seat belt around me and under the baby. (never over the baby). I would never sit in the front, of a car or taxi and would make sure the taxi didn't move until we were strapped in properly. However as she is bigger now we sometimes use the flight vest from B2B's with my arms wrapped around her. Sometimes we would have no choice but to go by taxi, but most of the time we would use bus or mtr. I know it is not ideal but I think it is far safer than not having them restrained at all.
 
I am amazed at how few people in HK restrain their children while in the taxi! We always put our baby in the car seat which is easily strapped in with the seatbelt. I think for a 6 month old they should still fit in the car seat unless they are over 20lbs. I just think that if in countries like Canada and the U.S. where there are very strict laws (in fact, in Canada, kids have to be in a car seat until they are 8 years old!) everybody does it, why would it change for us here who travel by taxi? in fact, it is probably even more dangerous as these cab drivers are virtual strangers and we have no idea how safely they drive!
 
Agree with niutalent. It is inconvemient and hopefully you will never be in a crash, but if you are, your child needs to be properly restrained. A Baby Bjorn or other type of sling is NOT SAFE, regardless of how the seatbelt is used. In fact it is probably more dangerous than just letting the child sit on your lap. On another forum a car safety expert was quoted :

'in the event of a collision at a speed of around 30mph, the adult would be thrown forward with a force of around 3 tonnes. If the baby/child were in the same seatbelt as the adult, this would be the equivalent of a fully grown elephant sitting on the baby. I would hate to imagine where the baby would end up if completely unrestrained but possibly marginally more likely survive than being crushed..?'

The only really safe way is to use car seat. The sit n stroll mentioned earlier is probably the most convenient solution. For larger children a Joeysafe (NOT a baby b'air flight vest - the website specifically says that it is NOT safe for car travel) is better than nothing.
 
i'm a canadian and it's true that in Canada, there are very strict carseat laws. I am frustrated a/b how I can travel via taxi with my baby that is safe. The seatbelt is not long enough for the Maxi-Cosi carseat- what shoudl I do? What is the sit and stroll adn the joeysafe? where can i buy them and how much are they?
 
I use the Joeysafe harness but it is not suitable for young babies (recommended from 1 year). I bought it online at www.joeysafe.lenoirphoto.com. I too come from a country with really strict car seat laws and the Joeysafe gives me real peace of mind.
 
I am from canada too and in canada I would never even dream of driving down the street without my children buckled in properly. The next time we are in hong kong the children will be 1 year and 3 years old. I have no idea what to do. If we are in a taxi, I can't very well install the 2 car seats as it takes a long time to get them in properly and tethered tight enough, And then if we get to the shopping center, how am I supposed to carry around 2 forward facing car seats and hang on to a 1 and 3 year old, never mind bags. It is just not possible. I would love to hear from the people who do use car seats in taxi's, what do you do with them once you arrive at your destination? I can see that with small infants you could put the car seat in the stroller. My children out grew their infant seats at 5 and 6 months. They hit the hight restriction on them before the weight, and my children are not very large for their age.
 
i still hven't come up with a easy solution as my infant car seat doesn't fit into the taxis here.. =( so, now i simply take the MTR or walk to my destination. Or I get someone to pick us up with their car and i install the carseat in... hope this helps and please let me know if you figure out a easy way of travelling by taxi with a baby...
 
From govmt website:

"From January 1, 2001, all passengers in the front and rear seats in taxis are required by law to wear seat belts installed in taxis. Passengers who fail to comply will be liable to a maximum fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for 3 months."

Doesn't mention anything specifically about children. But found the following, which is "recommendations", not law: http://www.td.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_174/seatbelt_leaflet.pdf

The two combined could be interpreted as being that carseats or a carrycot are compulsory for babies in order to use the mandatory seatbelts.
 
Just read the next page on the PDA file which says parents are "strongly advised" not to put children in front seats without suitable restraint - not very tough language.

Anyone know if there is any organisation campaigning for tougher safety laws in HK? Just think, a change in the law could make it compulsory for all cars and taxis to provide suitable seatbelts for fastening carseats. It might be possible to book a taxi which can provide a carseat (I assume for an extra fee) like in Western countries. Who wants to start a campaign?
 
Not me.

I rode in taxis, minibuses, 2-decker-buses, and single-story buses, and on the MTR with my children when they were babies without car seats. I think that a law requiring parents to strap infants into car seats when traveling would be a big burden for parents and transportation providers without doing much good. I have lived in HK for 14 years and have never heard of a case where an infant was killed in a taxi or public transit accident because of a lack of car seats.
 
I would also specfically order a taxi that came with a car seat.
HK is sadly lacking in legislation that protects babies and children when travelling in cars etc.
I can't understand the mentality that thinks it's ok to travel in a car where a child is not strapped into a car seat- it is unbelievably dangerous and yet you see it so often in HK.
I don't understand why common sense doesn't kick in- so there may not be any legslation forcing us to starp our children into a car/public transportation safetly but surely common sense and a desire to protect our children would mean we would do it anyway.
I don't care how inconvenient it is for public transport providers, a child's safety has to come first.
I haven't been on a minibus in HK since I got pregnant and have no intention of taking my baby on one- the drivers drive too fast, they rarely indicate or show any regard for other drivers/pedestrians, and I don't have much faith in the protection offerred by a minubus if it hits something or someone. They crumple if they hit anything.
 
Unfortunatly HK is not Canada or Australia, and the practicalities of life here and roads are very different.
While it would be fantastic if you could book a taxi with a carseat, I for one would hate it if it was law and you had to wait hours for your taxi to pick you up, (as happens often in Australia) just for a 15 min ride.
It would get to the point where you just wouldn't go anywhere.

Of course we should use capsules and carseats for our babies and restraints for our older children when we can, but I suspect those of you that are so judgemental of others either have cars, drivers, nannies, helpers, all of the above or have never had to travel with more than one child at a time!

On the topic of taxi drivers driving fast and dangerously, if you don't like the way he drives ask him to slow down and if he doesn't get out, and change taxis.
 
I agree with Matty. I think it would be foolish to apply the standards of the USA or Australia to HK publkic transportation, where cars go much slower and for much shorter distances in HK.

I traveled w/ my two children on minibuses, buses, MTR and taxis and it would have been a big burden for me to haul around a car seat in addition to the ~ 60 lbs combined kid-weight.
 
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