Alberta has specific laws in place for the safety of children traveling in a vehicle.
We can talk about the various laws regarding the different sizes and age groups. Including best practices on seatbelts, car seats, and booster seats.
But first, let’s answer the question about the older kid who finally gets to graduate to the front seat and ride “shot gun” as they say.
When can a kid sit in the front seat in Alberta?
13 Years Old and Older is the standard recommendation.
However, legally speaking it is when the child is big enough to wear a seatbelt properly, with knees bent over the seat and back against the chair.
All that being said, the recommendations, regardless of the laws, are based on studies that show that kids under the age of 13 in the front seat are far less safe. Especially in a vehicle with airbags.
It is also important to understand that the driver has full responsibility for the proper and legal fastening of all passengers under the age of 16.
Most of what is out there for child restraining and buckling advice and information are recommendations.
Recommendations are not laws. So let’s separate the 2 and focus on what is actually in the Alberta law on this matter.
*The following overview should NOT take the place of reading and interpreting the laws and guidelines for yourself. Read the law here.
Overview of the Alberta Securing Passengers Laws
- All drivers and passengers must be properly secured in the vehicle with a seat belt or an approved child safety seat attached by a seat belt or an anchor system.
- Driver is legally responsible for all passengers under 16 years old being properly fastened, and can be fined. Persons 16 and up can be directly fined themselves.
- Children under the age of 6 years and who does not weigh more than 18 kilograms (40 pounds) must be properly secured in a child safety seat. The child safety seat must be installed in the vehicle according to manufacturer’s instructions of the vehicle and child safety seat. The seats must meet the standards of the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213.
- All children, from birth, must ride in either a rear-facing infant seat or a rear-facing convertible seat until reaching the recommended weight to switch to a forward facing safety seat, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Forward-facing child safety seats are designed for children 10 to 18 kilograms (22 to 40 pounds). All newer vehicles and child safety seats come equipped with the universal anchor system or UAS/LATCH. In older vehicles, a forward-facing seat must be properly secured by using the vehicle seat belt. The child safety seat’s tether strap and vehicle’s tether anchor must be used. (You may need to have a tether anchor installed by your vehicle dealer.) Check the instruction manuals for the vehicle and child safety seat for more information. All newer vehicles and child safety seats come equipped with the universal anchor system or UAS/LATCH. In older vehicles, the child safety seat must be properly secured into the vehicle using the seat belt. Check the instruction manuals for your vehicle and the child safety seat for more information.
- Children who weigh more than 18 kilograms (40 pounds) should be secured in an approved booster seat prior to using only the vehicle’s seat belt without a booster seat. The seat must be used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The general rule to keep in mind, is that it’s technically legal, though not always wise, to have a child in the front seat, as long as the above parameters have been “outgrown”.
As you can see, there is a legal outline for how children are to be properly secured, given their ages and weight.
That being said, there is room for flexibility in certain situations. There are things that must be adhered to, and guidelines that should be followed.
Make sure you are on the right side of the law, as well as the right side of safety.
A Handy Safety Guideline on Child Passenger Safety – From Infants to Teens
In Summary
It’s one thing to do what is lawful to avoid a fine, it’s another thing to follow proper safety guidelines regardless of the law.
It’s always best to reduce negative outcomes, especially when it comes to children.
Safety guidelines in Alberta recommend that a child under 13 years of age should stay in the back seat for now.
Legally speaking, if sitting in the front, all passengers must be properly fastened and secured according the law.
Related Questions
Do you need a car seat in a taxi in Alberta?
No, you do not legally have to have a child car seat in a taxi in Alberta. There are exemptions to the seatbelt and restraint laws in Alberta. The exemptions (but still recommended where possible) include:
- Taxis
- Emergency vehicles
- Vehicles rented/leased for 14 days or shorter
- Vehicles not designed or equipped with seat belt assemblies by their manufacturers
- Vehicles being used in the course of making deliveries and being driven at 40km/h or less
- Vehicles being driven in an authorized municipal parade
- By a person who has a letter from a qualified medical practitioner certifying that person cannot use a seat belt or child restraint due to medical reasons or physical characteristics
