children in the front seat

[brimfull]

what are the rules?
friend with volvo uses front seat as has checked with manufacturers and they say it's fine as long as seat is back as far as it can go.
anyone else do this?

am wondering if i can do it with ford focus?

The Law

From that site:

The law requires children (and adults) travelling in the front of all vehicles, including vans, buses, coaches, minibuses and goods vehicles to use an appropriate child restraint or adult seat belts.

Summary of the Seat Belt Laws for front seat

Children under 3 years old - Correct child restraint MUST be used in front and back of a car. If one is not available in a taxi, then the child may travel unrestrained in the rear. Driver's responsibility

Children aged 3 and above, until they reach EITHER their 12th birthday OR 135cm in height = Correct child restraint MUST be used in front. Where seat belts fitted in back, correct child restraint MUST be used

MUST use adult belt if the correct child restraint is not available in three scenarios:

• in a in a licensed taxi or private hire vehicle ;
• for a short distance for reason of unexpected necessity;
• two occupied child restraints prevent fitment of a third.

In addition, a child 3 and over may travel unrestrained in the rear seat of a vehicle if seat belts are not available
Driver is responsible

Child over 1.35 metres, or 12 to 13 years Seat belt MUST be worn in front, if available Seat belt MUST be worn in rear, if available Driver is responsible

so from that it's ok to have child in the front as long as they are in child seat and using restraint?

you are allowed to do it in any car as long as the child is in an appropriate seat.
unless it's an infant carrier in which case you shouldn;t if you have an active airbag

the issue is that it is not as safe as the rear seats, so IMO it would not be a good idea unless you had absolutely no alternative

right thanks

I have a ford focus ggirl and 4yo ds sometimes travels there in his high backed booster.

It's legal, but the big safety issue is the airbag. Do you have one and can it be deactivated?

mine always travel in the front if I have just one of them, as they don't get so travel sick in the front

I do have airbag-not sure it can be deactivated.There is nothing in the book ,no deactivate button.
Anyway getting help with lifts today so don't need to worry .

My 4 year old has to sit in the front as my other 2 are in the back and it isn't wide enough for 3.

I make sure his seat is far back, he is on a booster seat and i went to the garage who deactivated my air bag for me. I was lucky because the garage added a switch which can be turned on and off. Cost £80 but much cheaper than a new car!

I used to put my baby on the front passenger seat. He was in an infant carrier sold by the car manufacturer. It had a special device to only deactivate the airbag when the carrier was on the seat (child seat recognition system).
In Sweden it is common to have the RF group 1 carseat on the front passenger seat from the point of safety.

strictmum-what kind of car is yours,am wondering if they could do that in a focus?

my DD (age 4) sits in the front in her 5 point harness. I am well aware that it isn't as safe as in the back, but the car sickness that she gets in the back is awful. We have a Ka which is tiny and a pain having only 3 doors. The front seat is pushed back as far as it goes (this is practically like sitting in the back- give or take 40cm)!
In my DH's car we can put her car seat in the back but in the middle so she can still see straight ahead. The car sickness is fine then as she can concentrate on the horizon.
When/if we sell the Ka, we'll get a car with 3 seatbelts in the back (and 5 doors) so she doesn't have to go in the front anymore.

In France it's illegal for children under 10 to travel in the front seat at all UNLESS they are a baby in a rear facing seat AND there is no front passenger side airbag.

So, they obviously feel it's enough of a safety issue to legislate about it in France.

there is no issue with the airbag unless you have a backfacing car seat for a baby
then you have turn it off

for an older child in a forward facing seat the airbag doesnt need turned off

My DD1 (nearly 8) travels in the front as she suffers from motion sickness. She sits in a booster seat with correct seatbelt height etc. While I accept that rear seats are safer, having a child who is routinely sick in a car, even short journeys (winding country lanes), then it is worth driving carefully and having her in the front.

nailpolish that isn't true. Legally in this country you can have a child in a forward facing seat in the front with an airbag, but the airbags are actually designed to impact an adult and can cause injury or death to children if they go off due to their weaker back & neck muscles larger heads and the force of a 200mph impact with the bag.

See here or here

It's illegal in Cyprus too

ggirl i have a Mazda. My sister has a peugeot and she has the same thing. And i am pretty sure my friend has something similar in her BMW.

Contact the garage and ask if they can do it. I have a switch on my dashboard and use my car key to turn it on or off.

snorkle, thanks for that link
i didnt know that
i do put my children in the front seat, with the proper seats, and i push the seat back as far as poss, but from now on i think i will turn the airbag off
thanks