Young Children in Cabs

[mouse_shoes 08]

My family is traveling to Disney next month. We want to take a taxi from the airport to our resort and avoid the Magical Express because of the time commitment that might be involved. Two of my children are 4 and 5. Do they need a booster seat to be allowed to ride in a taxi? I have found conflicting information on various websites.

[mydisneygirls]

Not sure about being allowed to ride in the cab without a booster seat, but I have to say that I wouldn't personally feel comfortable with them not being in one at that age.

[Tink1]

on the left of your screen you will see a link to Quicksilver, an Intercot sponsor that does round trip transfers to/from MCO.

They have "No extra charge for car seats or booster seats."

You may want to look into them rather than a cab.

Nanci

[faline]

Here are Florida's seat belt laws for children:

It is the responsibility of the supervising adult to ensure that any child under 7 years old is seated in a federally-approved child car seat. Failure to do so could result in a $60 fine and 3 points against your driver's license.

Florida law states:

Children 7 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 to 7 years old 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.
Use the following car seat guidelines from the FLHSMV while driving with a child in your vehicle.

Birth to 1 year old and at least 20 lbs.
Use a rear-facing child car seat in the back seat of the car.
1 year old and 20 lbs. – 4 years old and 40 lbs.
Use a forward-facing child seat in the back seat until they reach the weight and height limits recommended by the manufacturer.
Switch to a booster seat in the back of the car
4 years old and 40 lbs. – 8 years old or 4 ft 9 inches tall
Use a booster seat in the back seat until your child is big enough to use the car's seat belt..
8 years old or 4 ft 9 inches tall –12 years old
Have your child sit in the backseat with a seatbelt.
At 13 years old, your child can sit in the front seat of your car.

I, too, would suggest looking into Quicksilver. I think you'll find the cost to be about the same as that of a cab. Plus, your driver typically meets you at baggage claim, helps with your luggage, and can provide you with a free grocery stop on your way to the resort.

[mydisneygirls]

I found this through a Google search.

Florida used to be one of 2 states in the US that didn’t have a law requiring car seats for children who’d outgrown baby seats but were still too small for seat belts.

Florida had required car seats only through age 3, and children 4 to 5 years of age had to be in a federally approved child safety seat OR a safety belt.

Under a new Florida car seat law parents will no longer be allowed to use seat belts for kids under 5!

There are absolutely no exceptions to the new law, including if a child is being transported by someone who is not a member of his/her immediate family.

I would agree to use Quicksilver!

[AgentC]

Here is the updated law. There is one slight change from what Linda posted which I bolded. The change took place in January 2015. A seat belt CAN be used for a 4 or 5 year old in concert with a booster seat. A seat belt CAN NOT be used alone until the child is 6. A taxi driver may or may not allow you in without a booster seat. As you can see in the last part of the law, they are not required to give you a seat and they are not responsible if you do not use one. The parent is responsible.

I also think Quicksilver is a good idea.

Just a reminder to everyone we are looking at the child law and the ages are specific to that law. Florida does require that everyone over 6 also be restrained by a seat bet.

316.613 Child restraint requirements.—
(1)(a) Every operator of a motor vehicle as defined in this section, while transporting a child in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state, shall, if the child is 5 years of age or younger, provide for protection of the child by properly using a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device.
1. For children aged through 3 years, such restraint device must be a separate carrier or a vehicle manufacturer’s integrated child seat.
2. For children aged 4 through 5 years, a separate carrier, an integrated child seat, or a child booster seat may be used. However, the requirement to use a child restraint device under this subparagraph does not apply when a safety belt is used as required in s. 316.614(4)(a) and the child:
a. Is being transported gratuitously by an operator who is not a member of the child’s immediate family;
b. Is being transported in a medical emergency situation involving the child; or
c. Has a medical condition that necessitates an exception as evidenced by appropriate documentation from a health care professional.
(b) The department shall provide notice of the requirement for child restraint devices, which notice shall accompany the delivery of each motor vehicle license tag.
(2) As used in this section, the term “motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle as defined in s. 316.003 that is operated on the roadways, streets, and highways of the state. The term does not include:
(a) A school bus as defined in s. 316.003(45).
(b) A bus used for the transportation of persons for compensation, other than a bus regularly used to transport children to or from school, as defined in s. 316.615(1)(b), or in conjunction with school activities.
(c) A farm tractor or implement of husbandry.
(d) A truck having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 26,000 pounds.
(e) A motorcycle, moped, or bicycle.
(3) The failure to provide and use a child passenger restraint shall not be considered comparative negligence, nor shall such failure be admissible as evidence in the trial of any civil action with regard to negligence.
(4) It is the legislative intent that all state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, and safety councils, in recognition of the problems with child death and injury from unrestrained occupancy in motor vehicles, conduct a continuing safety and public awareness campaign as to the magnitude of the problem.
(5) Any person who violates this section commits a moving violation, punishable as provided in chapter 318 and shall have 3 points assessed against his or her driver license as set forth in s. 322.27. In lieu of the penalty specified in s. 318.18 and the assessment of points, a person who violates this section may elect, with the court’s approval, to participate in a child restraint safety program approved by the chief judge of the circuit in which the violation occurs, and, upon completing such program, the penalty specified in chapter 318 and associated costs may be waived at the court’s discretion and the assessment of points shall be waived. The child restraint safety program must use a course approved by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and the fee for the course must bear a reasonable relationship to the cost of providing the course.
(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.