In BC it’s the law that parents need to use child car seats or booster seats for children under nine years old or 145 cm (4'9") tall and yet not every household can afford a new seat. That’s why BCAA has donated over 12,000 child car seats since 2013 through our BCAA Community Child Car Seat Program in partnership with United Way British Columbia (UWBC). We donate child car seats to community agencies that work with parents and caregivers who may not have access to new, safe and unexpired child car seats. The result: we’re saving lives as more BC parents protect their most precious passengers from accidents and injuries.

Also, as part of our equity and inclusion journey, in 2021 we took a close look at the evaluation criteria of our program to ensure we prioritized donations to underrepresented and multi-barriered groups/individuals. With the support of UWBC, we implemented an annual needs assessment and in 2021 we donated 784 child car seats to:

• Community agencies that support multi-barriered individuals and families (BIPOC folks, newcomers and refugees, and people made vulnerable by systems).
• Of which, 67% of these agencies were Indigenous-led

Our foundational partnership with UWBC will continue as this partnership enables us to ensure that we have a province wide reach and are truly reaching those in greatest need.

In an effort to continue reaching more underrepresented groups in BC, in 2022 we are expanding the program and in addition to our work with UWBC, we are partnering with S.U.C.C.E.S.S., a Canadian social services organization focusing on settlement services for refugees and newcomers. We’ll be supporting their programs and clients with an additional donation of 137 child car seats.

Our child car seat safety website offers a wealth of car seat information including how-to videos, fact sheets and printable checklists to help parents and caregivers use child car seats and booster seats correctly and safely.

Here are a few key safety tips from our BCAA Child Passenger Safety Educators:

1. Research and understand how to choose the correct seat for your child’s age and size
2. Read your vehicle owner’s manual and always follow the child car seat manufacturer’s instructions
3. Learn how to correctly install your child car seat and secure your child in it before you need to hit the road
4. Practice, practice, practice!

Are you interested in providing child passenger safety training or education within your organization, to your clients or the public? Learn more about our Child Passenger Safety Educator course.