Using Taxis 
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Page 3 of 8 What safety restraints are appropriate for taxis? Depending on age and size, taxi passengers have several restraint options: seat belts; booster seats; convertible seats; and infant seats. Seat belts: Adults and children who pass the 5-step test should use a shoulder-and-lap belt. A lap-only belt is less preferable,as it provides no upper body restraint, leaving the head at risk for serious injury as it travels forward, especially in a taxi with a divider screen. Therefore, it's better for an adult to ride in front with the shoulder-and-lap belt than in back with a lap-only belt. If someone must ride where there is a lap-only belt, they should definitely wear their safety belt, as it will keep them much safer than they would be without a safety belt. Never let anyone wearing a safety belt place the shoulder belt behind their back or under their arm – this is very dangerous. Booster seats: 4-8 year olds are 59% safer in boosters than with just a seat belt. Boosters keep the seat belt on the strongest parts of the body--the hip bones and collar bone. Without a booster, a child is at risk for safety belt syndrome – lower spinal cord injuries in addition to injury to the abdominal organs including the liver, kidneys, spleen, intestine, and bladder – as the lap belt rides up over the child’s underdeveloped hip bones and into the abdomen. Boosters require no installation. Here are a few backless boosters & one vest that all weigh less than 5 pounds (making them easy to take in a taxi).
If you would like to keep your child in a 5 point harness with the convenience of a booster:
Another option is the RideSafer Travel vest – this is more compact than the booster and requires the child to wear it before getting into the taxi (to save time). This vest functions as a booster by positioning the safety belt properly over the child’s body.  Note – the Cosco/Safety 1st Tote N’ Go DX is also a vest but functions not as a booster seat, but as a forward-facing car seat. With any forward-facing car seat, the goal is to keep the child’s head from traveling forward in a crash. Unfortunately, I have not been able to satisfactorily install the Tote N’Go in any taxi – a child riding in it would be able to bend all the way forward, their chest touching their thighs, allowing the head to travel dangerously far forward, possibly hitting the divider screen. Convertible Car Seats: Once the baby outgrows the infant carrier, the Sit N' Stroll is an excellent option, because it's a convertible car seat (birth to 30lbs. rear-facing and 22-40lbs. forward facing) with a built-in stroller. While you can install any convertible car seat in a taxi, the Sit N' Stroll is unique because you don't have to carry the car seat--you simply use it as a stroller until you need to get into a vehicle. Due to the placement of the belt routing path (over the baby’s legs for rear-facing and across the baby’s chest for forward-facing) you must install the Sit N' Stroll with the child in the seat and uninstall the car seat before removing the child from the seat. This is fine for use in taxis and in other situations when you won't be leaving the seat in the vehicle, but isn't practical for everyday use in your own vehicle. Also note that due to the size and shape of the Sit N’ Stroll it's usually not possible to get it installed to less than 1 inch of side-to-side movement when using it rear-facing. Most parents can get an infant carrier like the Graco Safe Seat installed more securely – so using an infant carrier with a higher weight limit before switching to the Sit N’ Stroll is a wise idea. When using the Sit N’ Stroll forward facing, it's very important to use the tether strap whenever possible, as this will reduce how much the child’s head moves forward by at least 4 inches. The Radian, a new convertible seat by Sunshine Kids, is unique in that it folds flat (6 inches). It accommodates children up to 35 pounds rear-facing (although many find it difficult to get a secure installation rear-facing due to the location of the safety belt/LATCH belt routing path.) It's a forward-facing car seat for children up to 65 pounds. The compact nature of this car seat and its optional travel bag makes it convenient for travel, but due to its weight (20 lbs), some parents might find it too heavy and may prefer to use a travel bag with wheels or an entirely different seat. Combination Seats: The Safeguard Go is a car seat with a 5-point harness for children 30-60 pounds who are at least 1 year of age and at least 34 inches tall. This seat has many advantages for travel since it folds compactly into its own travel bag and weighs just 9.5 pounds. It can be installed in less than 1 minute in any vehicle with a tether anchor (all vehicles model year 2000 and newer in the US have tether anchors factory installed.)
Infant Carriers: Of the infant seats currently available, the Graco Snugride 35 will last the longest by far due to its tall seated height and high weight limit (35 pounds). Virtually every baby will still fit in the Snugride 35 at 12 months of age, and most will fit until they're closer to 18-24 months. To dispel a common misconception, the Snugride 35 carrier is only ˝ a pound heavier than the smaller versions of the Graco Snug Ride carrier, which has only a 22 pound weight limit.
Metal Frames
Infant Carriers: An infant carrier that snaps onto a stroller frame is the easiest way to take a baby safely in a taxi. An infant carrier that is tallest in seated height (where the baby’s bottom rests to the top of the car seat) and has a high weight limit (greater than 22 pounds) will last the longest. Watch this video to learn how to properly install your infant carrier (without its base.) All infant carriers except the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio and the Evenflo Embrace can be used without their base. (The Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP can be used without its base).
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