car seats and the law

[princesscupcakemummyb]

hi all i was wondering if anyone knew the law on a child in the front we have a old car so no airbag on passenger side but my question is are 4 year old children/child allowed in the front seat in a booster seat? ive tried to google but cant find a for certain answer thanks for any replies

yes, it's fine if there is no other alternative. e.g. if there are no belts in the back, or it's a 2 seater car, or the back seat is already occupied by children of the same size or smaller in child seats. You must not do it if the child in question could safely travel in the back, eg if there were adults / larger children who do not need child seats sitting in the back, or the back is empty.

if you do put the child in the front, the seat should be pushed back as far as it can go away from the dash board, even if there is no air bag.

Is there really a law that says that a 4yo must travel in back seat if at all possible? I find that hard to believe.

Yes, I believe that that bit is just advice -- in general it's safer for them in the back. Once a child is in a front-facing car seat or booster seat they can sit in the front in the appropriate car seat or booster seat even if the back is empty or the back is full of the Bulgarian men's weightlifting team.

OP -- this is a nice clear summary of the law for children of different ages and sizes.

There isn't a law against it. It is advised that children travel in the back, but it is not illegal to put the child in the front (and from what I can see there is nothing saying that if room is available in the back, they have to travel there).

www.childcarseats.org.uk/faqs/#legal

thank you everyone foe the replys il have a look at the links :)

for

I've been stopped twice (car not showing on insurance database) and the police haven't said a word when my ds was in the front.
I make the decision based on length of journey and type. E.g long journey he'll need drinks passing and entertaining, which if he's in the back is more likely to cause an accident.

I do think it depends what accident you have. If a lorry hits you at the back they are safer in the front. If you rear end someone they are safer in the back. So it's a calculated risk you make. With regards to the air bag I put the seat as far back as possible. He's actually further away from the airbag than I am

thats a good point Damnautocorrect i guess in regards with an accident you never know where you could get hit something worth thinking about thank you