Following the car seat rules for children is 100% necessary to keep them safe as regular car seats and belts just aren’t designed for these little ones. Finding the right car seat for your child will not only ensure their safety when driving, but also their comfort, making the journey better for everyone.
UK car seat regulations
According to the legal UK car seat requirements, all children under 12 years old or less than 135 cm tall must use a special child car seat designed to support their weight or height. Once they are over 12 or taller than 135 cm, they can sit in the normal seats but they must wear a seat belt (unless they have a medical exemption certificate).
When it comes to fitting a child car seat, the car’s seat belt must feature a diagonal strap unless the seat is specifically designed for a lap seat belt or installed using ISOFIX anchor points. Children with disabilities or medical conditions may use a seat belt or safety restraint specifically designed for them.
The child seat itself must be EU approved, labelled ‘ECE R44’ or ‘R129’ with a capital ‘E’ in a circle. If you’re unsure how to choose the right car seat for your child, you should know that they are usually categorised into weight or height groups.
For example, weight-based seats are divided up into the following groups, group 0, 0+, 1, 2, and 3. Group 0 is for babies weighing between 0kg and 10kg. These are normally lateral or rear-facing baby carriers/seats that use a harness. Car seat Group 0+ is for babies weighing 0kg and 18kg. On the opposite end of the scale, group 3 seats are for children weighing from 22kg to 36kg.
When can a baby face forward in a car seat?
You can legally only use a rear-facing baby car seat or carrier up until the child is 15 months old. After that, the baby can face forward provided that the seat is suitable for the child’s height and weight.
How long can a baby be in a car seat?
Most manufacturers follow a general 2-hour rule where they advise that babies should be kept in car seats no longer than 2 hours within a 24 hour period to avoid unnecessary strain on their spines and potential breathing problems. Moreover, for newborns, it is recommended to limit car journeys to no more than 30 minutes at a time.
Take care when fitting the seat and make sure to follow the product’s instructions very carefully. Some baby seats are designed for increased comfort to allow the child to nap more comfortably in the back seat, such as a Maxi-Cosi car seat.
How tall do you have to be to not have a car seat?
As mentioned above, in the UK, children must be at least 135 cm tall or 12 years of age (whichever comes first) before they can stop using a child car seat or booster cushion for cars. These safety requirements are essential for protecting children in the event of a crash as normal safety belts and seats are ineffective at restraining a small child and could cause injury.
Can you put a child car seat on the front seat?
It is generally much safer to fit the child car seat on one of the rear passenger seats for several reasons, such as crash dynamics and the risk of distractions. If you do decide to put a rear-facing child car seat on the front seat, you MUST deactivate any front airbags as they could severely injure or even kill the child if they deploy due to the way they are designed.
Even with front-facing seats, airbags could be potentially harmful. Most driving instructors and experts advise against placing them at the front for this reason.
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