[Solved] Car Safety - 6 Year old Travelling in the Front Se

Hi There,

As I understand it it depends on height I don't remember the legal height, my son is tall and he was around that age when he moved to just a booster seat.

If he is tall then it is down to your discretion, yes it would be safer in a full seat but a tall child would be OK with a booster and a seatbelt.

If he is tall he may weigh too much for a full child seat.

GTTS

Hi got-the-tshirt,

www.gov.uk states...Children must normally use the correct car seat until they reach 135 centimetres tall or age 12.
www.gov.uk states...You can use your child’s car seat in the front seat of a vehicle, if it fits. This includes 2-seater cars or convertibles with the top down.

The correct car seat for my 6 year old is a booster if she is 15 - 25Kg.

So I guess if she is 15-25Kg then she is legal using a booster and adult seat belt in the front.

Sorry for the faf, just wish to make sure I understand as I still dont think its safe to have her in the front really. Safest place is the rear middle).

Regards,

Dave

Hi there,

that sounds about right.

as I said from memory, my son was using a booster seat from the age of 6 not always in the front but sometimes he would.

GTTS

I agree that the rear is probably safer, but she is using the correct equipment so I don't think it's unreasonable. Let's face it, it's probably safer to not go by car at all and use public transport - there has to be some concession for convenience, plus it is much nicer to have a child in the front seat so you can have a conversation with them - in the rear seat they may be more of a distraction so more likely to be involved in an accident in the first place.

Hi

I always thought that the car seat was based on age/ height but found this Help on the Roads site and apparently its weight.

Also found this hope it helps:

If your child is aged under 12 years they must be using an appropriate child restraint, unless they are over 135cm in height. Once a child is taller than 135cm, you may move a child out of the booster seat or booster cushion, regardless of their age, although they must still legally use the adult belt. It is the drivers responsibility to ensure that every passenger under 14 is restrained within the law.

However, if a child is in a rearward facing child car seat, and the front passenger seat is protected by an active frontal airbag, then it is illegal to carry your child in the front.

Although the law does allow you to carry children in the front (with the one exception above), it is safer for children to travel in the rear.

I think all modern cars now have the ability to deactivate the passenger airbag - I wonder how many people know that and remember/can be bothered to do so.