Seatbelts, child seats and phone laws in Quebec

By the end of this topic you can

• You can make sure everyone in your car is legally restrained.
• You can decide when a child is ready to move from a car seat to a seatbelt.
• You can set up your phone and GPS legally before you drive.
• You can explain why one phone ticket can end a novice licence.

What you need to know and understand

• Everyone in a moving vehicle must wear a properly fastened seatbelt; not doing so means a $200 to $300 fine and 3 points.
• The driver is responsible for passengers under 16 wearing a seatbelt.
• Children must use a suitable car seat until they are 145 cm tall or 9 years old.
• You may not carry more passengers than there are seatbelts.
• Holding a phone or other portable device while driving is presumed to be using it, even when stopped at a red light.
• A phone offence costs $300 to $600 and 5 demerit points; repeat offences within two years bring immediate suspensions.
• You may wear an earphone in one ear only while driving.

Buckling up everyone

The seatbelt rule applies to every occupant, front and back. The only exception is the moment you are reversing, and a doctor can support an exemption for an exceptional medical condition. As the driver, you face an $80 to $100 fine and 3 points if a passenger under 16 is not buckled, and the same penalty if a young child is not in a suitable car seat.

Children: car seat or seatbelt?

Keep children in a car seat or booster suited to their weight and height until they reach 145 cm or 9 years old. Before using the regular belt, check that the child:

• Sits with their back flat against the seat back.
• Has knees bent comfortably over the edge of the seat for the whole trip.
• Has the shoulder belt across the middle of the shoulder, not the neck.
• Has the lap belt low over the hips, not the stomach.

Phones and screens

As soon as you are behind the wheel in a traffic lane, you are driving, even in a traffic jam. You may not hold a phone, tablet, music player or smart watch for any reason: calls, texts, maps, music or checking the time. A screen may show only driving information such as GPS, and must be built in or mounted so it does not block your view.

Exceptions are narrow: you may hold a phone to call 911, and you may use it once the vehicle is legally parked.

1. Mount your phone in a fixed holder before you set off.
2. Enter your destination and choose music while parked.
3. Switch on a do-not-disturb or driving mode.
4. If you must use the phone, find a legal place to park first.

What a phone ticket costs

A first offence is a $300 to $600 fine and 5 demerit points. A repeat within two years brings a minimum $600 fine and an immediate suspension: 3 days for the first repeat, 7 for the second and 30 for the third. For a learner or probationary driver, 5 points is already over the 4-point limit, so the licence is revoked for at least three months.

Common mistakes

• Checking a text at a red light. You are still driving in the eyes of the law.
• Holding the phone between shoulder and ear. That counts as holding it.
• Moving a child to a seatbelt too early. Wait until 145 cm or age 9 and do the fit check.
• Wearing earbuds in both ears. Only one ear is allowed while driving.

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

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

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