car seats and taxis

[jdwutzke]

We are planning on taking a taxi to Red Hook ferry, then to St. John, another taxi to Trunk Bay. We have a 2 yr. old and a 1 yr. old. Will we need to take car seats along?

[The Islander]

What is required:

 

Driver and front passenger must be restained by a safety belt. Any child under the age of five must be in a car seat. In the case of a child aged three through five, seat belts can be used but the child must ride in the back seat of the vechicle. Any child older than five years but under twelve must wear a safety belt.

 

Taxis:

 

I have asked a taxi driver friend in the past and children ride in the backseat with seatbelts, or if you have a car seat you can use it or the child can sit on the parent's lap in the back seat.

 

When I said isn't the sitting on the lap illegal - they just shrugged and repeated that if the customer doesn't have a car seat that the baby can ride on a parent's lap, but if they have a car seat they can use it. Now this applies to vans and cars that are used for taxis. Another popular taxi vehicle is the safari - they don't have seat belts as they are converted trucks with bench like seats in the back so you wouldn't be able to use a car seat on a safari.

 

Hope this helps.

 

--Islander

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