Using Uber Or Lyft? You Still Need Car Seats

Traveling this summer? Make sure you have your child’s car seat or booster seat on your packing list.

A new study finds many parents don't use child safety seats when they take ride-share vehicles like Uber or Lyft with their young children. And that can put their young children at risk, as traveling without the recommended child restraint system increases the risk for serious injury or death in a crash.

The study of parents across the United States and found that most who use ride-share services do so with their children, but only half of those with children 8 years or younger said their child traveled in child car seats or booster seats when in ride-share vehicles.

Among parents of children 8 and younger, more than 40% used only a seat belt for their child, while 10% traveled with their child on their lap or unrestrained, the findings showed.

“Your child’s safety doesn’t diminish if you get into a Lyft car,” said Jennifer Homan, RN, trauma program manager at Franciscan Health Crown Point. “Safety doesn’t change.”

Overall, parents reported lower rates of child car seat use in ride-share vehicles compared with how their child usually travels, according to the study published online March 25 in the journal Academic Pediatrics.

"Importantly, our findings suggest that even parents who usually use child car seats face barriers to doing so in ride-share vehicles," said senior study author Michelle Macy, MD, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. "Or, parents may view traveling in ride-share services as different, in terms of risk and legal requirements, than traveling in their family vehicle."

In the United States, child car seat laws vary by state, but most states require children younger than 8 to travel in a child car seat or booster seat when in ride-share, the researchers noted.

“A child should stay in a booster until the seatbelt fits appropriately, about 4’9”,” Homan said. “Seat belt should fit across the lap and shoulder, not onto the neck.”

Homan said more lightweight car seats and booster seats are available that may be easier for parents to travel with. Backless booster seats can cost about $30, and some harness seats for forward-facing children can be worn as a backpack, she said.

Before getting into a vehicle, check with the driver who are driving to see whether they have appropriate car seats available for use. You can access car seat policies for Uber and Lyft online.

And traveling with a car seat isn’t limited to a car.

“When you’re traveling in the airplane, you want to make sure they have the right seat at the airport,” Homan advised. “Check with your car seat manual on how to use it in the airplane.”