Child car seats are important for your child’s safety, and there are strict rules governing the use of them in private cars and commuter vehicles. So, are child car seats required in limos or taxis? The answer, in Illinois, anyway, is no. You do not need to use child car seats in limos or taxis in the state of Illinois.
Most Chicago limo companies and taxis do not offer child car seats or booster seats. They are not required by law to offer them and you are not required to use them when traveling in commercial cars. You are frequently welcome to bring your own and install them yourself, but you are also welcome to travel with your child without the car seat. This is clearly outlined in the Child Passenger Protection Act.
Some limo companies, such as Going Green Limousine, is family owned and understands the importance of traveling safely with children. Even though we are not required to deal with car seats, we are happy to provide our Chicago limo service with car seats. All of our vehicles are equipped with the latch system for properly installing car seats.
Traveling with children can be stressful, and if you want the added security of using a child safety seat with a car service, then dealing with the bulky heavy car seat can add even more woes to your plans. We certainly welcome you to bring your own, but we also give you the option of renting new and clean car seats from us. Our chauffeurs preinstall them for your convenience, so you can totally eliminate the car seat worry from your ground transportation. You can even rent our car seats for the convenience and just bring yours as cargo if you need it at the other end of your travels. We are completely flexible and only want to provide you with as much peace of mind as we can. That is also one of the reasons we offer every type of car seat.
Rear facing infant car seats with the base (five point harness) are good for infants from 5 to 22 pounds and up to 29″ in height. These seats are meant to go up to one year for your baby. However, many babies start outgrowing that seat as early as 9 months old. State law requires infants to stay rear facing for up to one year, and new safety guidelines recommend keeping your child rear facing for up to two years if possible. So, what is a parent to do? Introducing, the rear facing convertible car seat.
Rear facing convertible car seats (five point harness) are good for infants from 5 to 35 pounds. Once your child has hit 35 pounds, he will need to be forward facing.
Forward facing car seats (five point harness) are good for toddlers from 20 to 40 pounds and up to 43″ in height. Once your child has outgrown this seat, then he has outgrown the five point harness car seat options and is ready to move into a booster seat.
Booster seats are important because they raise your child to a height that can be appropriately used with the car’s own seat belt. There are two types of booster seats and they both accommodate the same weight and height of the child. The main difference is that the high back booster provides additional support for the correct seat belt height, which can be useful for the smaller child.
High back boosters are good for 30 to 100 pounds and 34″to 57″ in height.
Backless boosters are good for 30 to 100 pounds and 34″to 57″ in height.
Prices for child car seats in our limo service vary depending on the car seat:
Rear facing infant with base, $15
Rear facing convertible, $10
Forward facing toddler, $10
High back booster, $7
Backless booster, $5
When you make a reservation with us by phone or online, just let us know what type of car seat(s) you need and we will be happy to have them installed for you prior to your scheduled pick up. If you need help deciding which car seat, our reservationists will be able to assist you with general guidelines of height or weight or even age.
We look forward to providing you with peace of mind family car service with child seats, whether you are renting ours, bringing your own, or going without child restraint devices. Book your Chicago limo service today and enjoy your family travels.
Posted by: Rebecca @ 10:46 am
If you are renting a Chicago limo to party or celebrate, then you should know the rules so you can determine what type of limo to reserve. Some limos allow alcohol and others don’t. Some rules are created by the limo company and other rules are regulated by the city or the state. Keep the following in mind to have a good time:
Illinois law prohibits alcohol in non partitioned vehicles. This means the vehicle must have partition capability in order to allow passengers to drink alcohol while in the limo. Passengers must also be 21 or older by Illinois law. What does this mean for you? If you are of legal age and plan on drinking alcohol in the limo, be sure to reserve a limo with a partition. Stretch limos typically have a partition, while standard vehicles do not.
There are no Illinois laws regarding consumption of non alcoholic beverages or food in any vehicle. Every limo company will have different policies regarding this, so check with the limo service provider to find out what is and is not allowed. Typically, the limo company will provide bottled water. Other beverages and/or food may or may not be acceptable. There may also be a cleanup fee for spills.
Smoking is illegal in all Illinois public transportation vehicles. Smoking in any Illinois or Chicago limo, livery, or taxi, is against the law and passengers can be severely fined for breaking this law by both the police and the limo company. Vehicle detailing is required to rid the vehicle of smoke, and that cost may be passed on to the passenger(s).
Most limos no longer have sun or moon roofs, but if they do, you are not allowed to stand up through them. This is against the law as well as against most limo company policies for safety reasons.
Vehicles cannot be loaded beyond the passenger capacity. Passenger capacity can easily be determined by the number of seat belts installed in the vehicle. When ordering a limo, be sure the vehicle is truly capable of holding your party count. Some limo companies will sell a 10 passenger limo for a party of 10 (with the intention of squishing 10 people back there), but the limo may really only be seat belted for 10 passengers total. This means 8 passengers in back and 2 up front, 1 of which is for the driver. This means that only 8 people can legally be in back, 1 up front next to the driver (provided the seat has not been removed for cargo purposes), and 1 party member left standing on the curb. Ask questions, and if you don’t get solid answers, call a different limo company.
Going Green Limousine will be happy to help you answer any questions regarding limo policies and limo laws. Just give us a call at 773 295 5959 and any of our reservationists will be able to direct you. As a Chicago limo service provider, it is our job to be sure you not only have the right limo, but you have a great time without stressing over breaking any policies or laws. That is why we offer Peace of Mind transportation. Every time.