Children and sitting in the front of the car

[Yellowpepper2010]

What age can you put your child in the front ? Is it safe to put a 3 year old in a car seat in the front providing the air bag is off or is this not allowed/safe ?

Is it allowed: yes.

Is it safe: That’s your own judgement call to make.

I’m probably wrong here but doesn’t it depend on their height?

DD out grew her booster at 7. She sits in the front on slow roads pootling around town. On fast roads (50+ mph) she sits in the back as its safer, these journeys are fairly infrequent and she can spread out whatever activity she is doing.
She sat in the back whilst she was using a car / booster seat.

You’re allowed but whether it’s safe is a different question. My 3 year old DD would love to sit in the front but the back is safer as far as I’m concerned

It’s the airbag that’s an issue with car seat, so just turn off passenger seat airbag

Sorry - just seen you said with airbag off, then it’s perfectly safe

I wouldn’t at three. My daughter’s 9 and last summer whilst driving to her holiday club which was near my work, she sat in the front in her hbb. Likewise on the few occasions we’ve been out recently she has done so. But she would be safer in the back.

The back is much safer.

It is allowed. However evidence is that it is dramatically safer for children under 13 to travel in the back.

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime I appreciate that some 7 year olds are tall but given that children are meant to be using a booster until 12, unless she has a serious medical condition, she should likely be using one too.

I don't want to be a major downer, but am.very conscious of this, having grown up with a family friend who was lovely, bright and fun, until he was brain injured after travelling in an incorrectly fitted child seat and his life and personality changed completely.

Statement about rear seat travel (American but relevant) pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/5/e20182460

It’s fine saying you’ll turn the airbag off so your child doesn’t get injured but if you turn off the airbag, your child could be seriously injured in a collision BECAUSE the airbag is off. It’s a bit of a lose/lose situation. A three year old is much safer in the back.

Stuckforthefourthtime they should use a booster till age 12 or 135cm tall, whichever comes first

Don’t you only turn the air bag off if they are in a rear facing car seat? Am pretty sure if they are in a forward facing one then you leave the air bag on and maximise the space between the child and the airbag.

I personally wouldn’t let my child sit in the front unless absolutely necessary. It seems an unnecessary risk.

@Stuckforthefourthtime At 7 Dd was 140 cm and at 10 years old she is 160 cm. She's just very tall for her age.

@Stuckforthefourthtime I posted too soon. I'm sorry for the injuries your friend sustained. I have been first on scene to a fatal RTC and it is something that stays with you forever.

Turning an airbag off for safety just to sit in the front seat seems quite short sighted imo? Why can’t they just sit in the back?

We do let our 7 year old for longer journeys because he gets travel sick and this seems to help. I'm not thrilled about it and we do re-try him but he gets quite anxious that he's going to be sick and getting him to go anywhere becomes very stressful. Tablets don't seem to always work. Once he's done a few journeys and doesn't associate the car with being sick, we try him again as I really prefer him being in the back