child car seat

[Admiral]

Our car hire for our trip is booked through alamo and they are charging $4.99 per day for car seat hire. we are in Florida for 17 days which would work out at over $80 for seat hire. At home we use a booster seat for our 3yr old(105cm tall). Can anyone tell me if the booster seat would be sufficient in Florida or do you require a full size car seat. At that price it would be much cheaper to just buy a seat but having read some previous messages I see they will not let you leave the airport without a suitable seat for the child.

 

[TraceyL]

Last time we went we took the hire car seat, went to Walmart and bought a far superior (and MUCH cheaper) seat to the Hire Co one and then returned the hired seat to a local Alamo office for a refund of the unused days.

I'm still debating whether to take our own (the one we bought last time !) or do the same again.

 

[BevS97]

we always take our own, the first year (dd age 3 1/2) we took one with straps, and last year (4 1/2) we took a high back booster. Noone ever came out of the car hire place to even look at our carseat.

I don't think a no-back booster seat would be legal though, but you can get a highback booster from Argos for not a lot.

Bev

 

[catherine]

Florida law requires that a child aged 3 and under be in a full size car seat.

 

[poohstix]

Cath is right. I too am looking into this as well. Last trip we used the Alamo seat. Never again it was in very bad condition and cost is so high. I sent an email to the county sheriff's dept and this is the reply.



I am responding to your email regarding child passenger safety during your
trip to Florida. Thank you for taking the time to ask about what is require
to keep your child safe while on vacation here.
Your question was:

Our child will be 3 years old. Do we need a full child seat or is a booster
seat all we need ?

It is a requirement under Florida Statute 316.613 that your child be
PROPERLY secured in a child restraint device that meets Federal Motor
Vehicle Standard 213 (see fine print on the side of your car seat that would
state that it meets this criteria). If your child is over 40 pounds, a full
back or backless booster will be an appropriate choice. The term "proper" in
our law requires you to use the car seat as directed by the respective car
seat manufacturer.

I think it is a wise thought to bring your own car seat, as long as it meets
the previously mentioned requirement. If it is a Britax, it should meet both
European and US safety standards.

I hope this was helpful. I will be out of the office until July 15th, but if
you have any further questions please feel free to contact me
and I will assist you with any other questions.

Kay Fortinberry
Occupant Protection Specialist
Orange County Sheriff's Office
2500 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32804

Office (407) 254-7377


We will be taking our own car set. Will use on the way to the airport, take it out and place in a black plastic bag and label it and place in the cargo hold, job done..

A little hassle but worth it to be sure your most valuable item is safe.....