Seatbelts, child seats and phone laws in Nunavut

By the end of this topic you can

• You can explain who must wear a seatbelt in Nunavut.
• You can explain the driver's responsibility for passengers under 15.
• You can choose the right type of child restraint for a small child.
• You can describe what the hand-held device law allows and bans.

What you need to know and understand

• Drivers and passengers must wear the full seatbelt, properly adjusted and fastened, where one is provided.
• The driver must make sure passengers under 15 are buckled up or properly restrained.
• Children of the prescribed size or weight must ride in a proper child restraint system.
• Not wearing a seatbelt, or failing to secure a child, adds 2 demerit points.
• No one may drive while holding or using a hand-held electronic device; hands-free use is allowed.
• Never hold a child on your lap in a moving vehicle.

Seatbelt rules in the Act

Section 146 of the Traffic Safety Act requires the driver and every passenger to wear the complete seatbelt assembly, properly adjusted and securely fastened, whenever the vehicle is on a highway. It is also an offence to drive a vehicle whose required seatbelts have been removed or do not work. The driver is responsible for passengers under 15: you may not drive unless each is wearing a belt or is properly secured in a child restraint. Limited exemptions exist, such as a medical certificate.

Child seats

The Act requires children of a prescribed size or weight to be secured in a prescribed child restraint system. The Restricted to Nunavut Driver's Manual groups seats by weight: infants of about 3 to 9 kg, toddlers of about 9 to 18 kg, and children over 18 kg who need a booster before an adult belt fits. Choose an approved seat that fits the child and the vehicle, and follow the maker's instructions. A child on an adult's lap can be torn from their arms in a crash.

Phones and other distractions

Section 239.1 says no person may drive on a highway while holding or using a hand-held electronic device. Using a device in hands-free mode without holding it is allowed, and emergency vehicle drivers are exempt. Even hands-free calls take attention away from the road, so keep them short or pull over safely.

• Set music and navigation before you move off.
• Put the phone out of reach or in a mount, on silent.
• Do not eat, read or adjust gadgets while moving.
• Ask a passenger to handle messages and directions.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the belt for a short trip across town. Short trips are where most crashes happen.
• Wearing the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the back. Wear the complete assembly properly.
• Holding a phone on speaker. Holding the device is itself banned.
• Moving a child into an adult belt too early. Use a booster until the belt fits properly.

Test yourself: Seatbelts, child seats and phone laws in Nunavut

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Nunavut impaired driving and zero tolerance for new drivers
• Nunavut Restricted Driver’s Licence
• Driving in Iqaluit and Nunavut