Child In Car

[Dusty Bin]

What are the restrictions on transporting a child in the front passenger seat of a car?

[jack daniels]

this may help

http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/law/index.htm

[Dusty Bin]

Thanks.

A 4 year old child can travel in the front seat of a car provided he/she's appropriately restrained?

Is this correct?

[jack daniels]

go to the part where it says

Children aged 3 and above, until they reach EITHER their 12th birthday OR 135cm in height

[brachiopod]

There is also the issue of "Unexpected Necessity", which relates to those situations where you end up taking a taxi, cab or friend giving a lift and you don't have the necessary child seats etc.

The emphasis is on unexpected, so cannot be used as an excuse for any journey that, reasonably, could be considered pre-planned.

In most cases, these state that children under 3 may travel in the rear seat unrestrained, whilst those over 3 may use adult seat belts but still travel in the rear.

The only exception that relates to front seats in any way is;

"Where two occupied child restraints in the rear seat prevent you fitting a third. In this case, provided the front seat is occupied, a third child aged 3 years and over can use an adult seat belt (lap OR lap and diagonal) in the rear. If the front seat is free, then they must seat there using the correct child restraint."

taken from http://www.dft.gov.uk/think/focusareas/childre n/childincar?page=Overview

[pink-kittens]

Answering your specific quesiton about a 4 year old, yes as long as they are in a properly fitted car seat/restraint for their apropriate age and size

[Dusty Bin]

Thank you all!

I remember as a child I was told that I was too young to travel in the front seat until I was about 8 years old.

Would this have been correct 20 or so years ago?

Was the law changed at any time in the past couple of decades?

[pink-kittens]

I always thought it was 13 many years ago?

I was 16/17 when the seatbelt law was introduced lol and I remember my parents saying I could not sit in the front until I was 13. Not sure it was a legal thing back then, just one of those urban myths our mums and dads put around so as not have us annoying them in the front seat ha ha.
http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/law/seatbelts. htm - history of the laws

I'm not sure if the age was changed or defined when the seat belt law came into force? Maybe that's what you are thinking of - it's certainly a probability. Can't find anything specific though

[colin6789]

I am sure that there is no, and never has been, an actual British Law that bans a child f any age from the front seat of a car, provided that the correct restaint / seat is used and the air bag is inoperable for a rear facing seat. It may not be advisable to have a small child with an air bag if it is to close to it, see car manufacturers handbook or dealer.

This' Urban Myth' is possibly a mixture of perents not wanting their children in the front, for safety (before seat belts) and Americal legislation.

What is better a sizable child in the front with an adult seatbelt or unrestained in the back?.

Note American Airbags are disigned to stop an large adult not wearing a seatbelt, so are much larger and activate at a lower speed.