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The BCAA Community Child Car Seat Program

Did you know? BCAA isn't just about Roadside Assistance and Member benefits. We're here to keep all British Columbians moving forward, which means we're also a leader in child passenger safety.

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 14,000 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 to support community agencies that serve BIPOC, newcomers, and people made vulnerable by systems. 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, we expanded the program to support S.U.C.C.E.S.S., a Canadian social services organization focused on settlement services and programs for refugees and newcomers.

learning child car seat safety

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.