Car Seat Rules?

[Chickadee]

We are traveling for the first time with our kids. Does anyone know what the car seat requirements for kids are on STJ? For those who have traveled with your kids who weren't required to be in car seats, did you put them in one any way?

Thanks in advance,

[loria]

this is from VINOW
Driver and front passenger must be restrained by a safety belt. Any child under age 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 backseat. Any child older than five but under twelve must wear a safety belt. (This information is a summary and subject to change, confirm current regulations with your rental car agent.)

kind of strange--they require seats for under five, but you can use a belt? maybe this means booster seats are okay for 3-5.....

[Chickadee]

I think it means that a kid under 5 in the front seat must be in a car seat. If they're in the back and are between 3 and 5 a belt is all that's required.

Trying to decide whether I'd let my 3 and 5 year olds ride in the backseat with just the belts or if we'll be renting car seats...

[STX lady]

One of our kids carried a car seat/ the other not... we bought a booster seat in case......their answer was don't bring the car seat....they are always available if you need them.
They are a total pain during flight!!!

[stjohnjulie]

There are car seat laws here but they are not enforced. They have recently been making a push (through PSA's) to have kids put in car seats, but I just don't see this happening anytime soon. I know MANY people who place their INFANTS on the front seat, unrestrained. Or babies being held in laps in the front seat. It totally freaks me out! I have NEVER seen or heard of anyone being pulled over or ticketed for a car seat violation. I think that they are going to have a hard time with enforcing such law considering most of the taxis on St. John are safaris and there is no way to restrain anyone in the back of one of them. The one thing that is pretty different here than in the states is that our max speed is 25mph. The rate of speed has a lot to do with how bad an accident is.

[FinsUp]

The problem with having your child belted without a booster seat/car seat is where the belt falls on their chest and lap. It doesn't fit right and therefore is an annoyance and safety issue for the child. The first year we arrived on STT we had arranged for car seat rental through Budget only to find out when we arrived, no car seats available. Against our better judgement, we went without car seats all week. All was OK but the belts didn't fit and there was always a sense of "uneasiness". Since then we have rented through Amalie Car Rental on STT and car seats/booster seats are included in the rental price which is a huge relief when travelling with little ones.

[melmd]

We wil be bringing a booster for our 5 year old and getting and infant seat through our rental agency once we get to STJ. The ride over with the baby on my lap is going to freak me out, but I do not want to lug a car seat through the airport and the car seat in included in our rental.

[djmom]

If you are renting a jeep you may find that the booster seats place your children really high up and almost level with the side of the jeep. While it might have been safer (I have no clue) we felt that that extra height made them more vulnerable to "tipping out" and we chose not to use the booster seats.

Of course an infant is a different story.