SUV Rental Tips - Children And Car Seats
Some car rental companies require children (who are a certain age or weight) to be secured in a car seat. They will usually have child seats available for rent. Unless you need a similar safety device for travel elsewhere (eg. on the plane), it may be easier to rent rather than bring your own. Also consider the damage that could result in the transport of your child seat.
- Ensure that you have the following questions fully answered before renting a child safety seat with your car:
- Are there safety seats appropriate to your child's age and weight available (eg. backward-facing, forward-facing)? Is the seat of the non-shielded variety?
- How many seats of this particular type do they have available? What happens if another family rents it out?
- Does the car you intend to rent have the proper fittings for this seat? If the car you originally plan to rent is unavailable, will there be other cars that also have the proper fittings?
Here is one of the most important points to consider: despite any assurances you may receive from the rental company, you can never be too sure about the child seat's safety history. You must decide which is the lesser of two evils - risking damage to your own seat (even if it won't be in use during the journey) or incurring the risk of the rental seat.
- If you decide to take your own seat, ensure that the available cars have the necessary fittings.
- Like using any child safety device, check that the seat is fitted securely before securing your child!
- If your child requires a booster seat, you may have to bring your own; these extras are normally unavailable for rent by most car rental companies.
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