Must know child car seat info

It’s complicated enough just fitting a car seat in a car, let alone getting your head around the complicated child car-seat laws. So, if you’re unsure who to belt in when – and facing in which direction – here’s our simple guide to the legal dos and don’ts...

1. Clunk-click every trip

All children under 3 must, by law, travel in an appropriate child car seat. The only exception made is for taxis or minicabs.

2. Airbags off

It is illegal (and dangerous) to put a child in a rear-facing car seat on the front passenger seat of a car that has an active frontal airbag. If there is no airbag or you have deactivated it, then it’s OK – but generally it’s safer to fit car seats in the rear of the car.

3. Babies go backwards

All babies should be in rearward-facing seats until they weigh at least 9kg and can sit up unaided. This is just a minimum requirement: it’s safer to keep your baby in a rearward-facing seat as long as possible; ideally, you should move her to a forward-facing one only when she has reached the maximum weight for the rearward seat or the top of her head is above the top of her seat.

4. A few exceptions

The rules on car seats are waived for taxis and minicabs, unexpected short journeys and where there are already other car seats fitted and space doesn’t allow it. If your child is under 3 and a child restraint is not available then she can travel unrestrained in the rear. If your child is over 3, she must use an adult seatbelt in the rear instead.

5. Driver responsibility

If you’re driving, you’re legally responsible for ensuring every child in the car is safely belted into the right kind of car seat – even if some, or all, of the children are not your own.

Visit www.childcarseats.org.uk for more advice on safe car travel.

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