A three-month-old boy rushed to hospital after a multi-vehicle collision yesterday afternoon remains in critical condition while his three-year-old sister has been upgraded to serious but stable condition.

Both children were taken to the Hospital for Sick Children with critical, life-threatening injuries Saturday after three vehicles collided at Yonge St. and Lake Shore Blvd. around 3:30 p.m., shutting down the busy intersection for several hours.

The father was behind the wheel of the Dodge Caravan when it allegedly ran a red light around 3:30 p.m., police said. A Chevrolet Uplander smacked into the side of the van and ricocheted off a BMW that was stopped at the intersection.

The baby boy apparently flew out of his mother's arms and into a window, suffering head injuries and a broken leg, police said. His three-year-old sister also hit her head, resulting in a severe cut.

The victims' two- and four-year-old sisters were treated for minor bumps and bruises, as were their parents and three adults in the other vehicles.

The two children who suffered the most severe injuries, the baby boy and his three-year-old sister, were "unrestrained" in their minivan when the accident occurred, according to police.

Police said investigators are trying to determine the cause of the crash. No charges have been laid.

The crash happened just three days after police kicked off an Ontario-wide campaign to crack down on motorists who don't wear seatbelts, with a special emphasis on encouraging people to ensure their kids are safe.

Police across Ontario are in the middle of a safety blitz, writing more tickets for people who break the province's seatbelt laws and holding safety clinics to inform people of the law.

"It's a really simple philosophy: seatbelts save lives and reduce injuries," said Sgt. Tim Burrows, of Toronto Police's Traffic Services Division, who says officers have been finding that most people know the law. "It's too bad that (Saturday's collision) had to happen to drive that home."

Childrens' car seats seem to be one of the biggest problems, Burrows said. At previous safety clinics, police have noted that a disturbing 80 per cent of people they've talked to don't know how to properly install one.

"The biggest thing we notice is that they're just not tight enough," Burrows said, adding that he uses his knee to pull the straps taut when he buckles up his own children.

More than 95 per cent of Ontarians wear seat belts, police say, but they want to push that number higher. Police estimate that for every percentage point of the driving public who wear seatbelts, some five lives can be saved.

The Ministry of Transportation says that car crashes are the number one cause of death for Canadian children, and that car seats can reduce the risk of serious injury or death by up to 71 per cent.

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With files from Thandiwe Vela