What does the law say about babies/toddlers in cars or taxis?

[ScummyMummy]

Can anyone help me with this? Are there any actual laws to say that kids must be appropriately restrained when travelling by car? If so, do these apply to taxis too? Up to what age/size does the law (if any) apply? What kind of restraints are legally appropriate at what age?
Would be very, very grateful for any answers (and might earn some brownie points at work!)

Just to clarify- am particularly concerned with young children ie babies and toddlers here.

As far as I am aware the law is a bit vague on this, having called a police station once for clarification. Basically anyone under the age of 14 is the driver's legal responsibility, so it is up to them to be sure that children are appropriately restrained. But as for the issue of what restraints to use , this is the vague bit. Children are supposed to be secured wherever possible, but that leaves open the theory that if there were not enough seatbelts/carseats for every child then they do not have to be restrained!. All the policeman would say to me was that if a seatbelt/carseat was available then it should be used, but it is seemingly also allowed to have children in a car with nothing keeping them safe at all, if there is nothing to secure them with. Personally I would think that if there is nothing to keep a child safe while travelling then they shouldn't be allowed in the car at all.

This article has a piece about the laws regarding children, Scummymummy. I don't know about taxis. The article says 'any vehicle' but there obviously are exemptions such as buses. You could phone your local council Road Safety people or the police. Car Seat Article

And another item which mentions taxis. Seat belts

Thanks so much lou33 and Suedonim- very useful stuff. I'm really surprised that it's apparently so easy to get away with NOT putting kids in carseats. I'll phone the council to see if any local bye laws are more stringent.
I can't go into details but basically one of our clients is being expected to travel daily by taxi with two unrestrained children under 2 by, wait for it, her local authority. Do you think their legal obligation would be any greater than an ordinary persons- they pay for the taxi- or does the responsibility lie with the taxi driver? Is ANYONE legally obliged to provide the babes with carseats, do you think? It sounds like no one is...

ScummuyMummy - don't know if you're any further forward with this already but, as I understand it, taxi drivers are exempt from insisting on seat belts for any of their passengers - presume this applies to child passengers as well. Even owners can only insist on seat belts for front seat passengers.

Of course, I may be completely wrong here!

I think you're right, Tinker. Will have to rethink how we can help her... depressing stuff .

I suppose you could look at it from the other end, Scummymummy, and imagine what might be said if (god forbid) there was an accident. I rather think people would say that the local authority should have provided baby seats if the woman couldn't afford them herself. In some areas the maternity hospital won't let you take your baby home unless you have a car seat and I don't see this as being very different, really. A few hospitals even had a loan scheme for baby seats, and KwikFit also loaned seats at one time. It might be worth enquiring to see if this is still available.

Sorry for being thick, but if I read the article correctly, it seems to allow children to travel unrestrained if they are in the back seat (and there are no restraints available)? What about a child on an adult's lap - would this be illegal?

That was definitely the impression I got from the police florenceuk,looks like a big legal loophole doesn't it?

It might be worth calling a few mini cab companys though, because there are some that provide child seats on request. Do check that it's properly fitted though - when my daughter was younger i put her in a taxi with a child seat and wasnt until half way through the journey that I realised the seat wasnt actually secured to anything!