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At What Age Can Children Sit in the Front Seat of a Car?

Author: Elizabeth Grace - Updated: 13 January 2013 | Comment
 
Booster Seat Children Seat Belt

Q.

My son, who is 7 years old and 140cm tall, was picked up from school today by a friend but she was stopped by a traffic warden and advised that he is not allowed in the front seat unless he is over 16 and that he does require a booster seat.

From reading the info on this site I understand that as long as he exceeds 135cm, he does not need a booster seat, and I cannot see anything documented that states he cannot sit in the front seat of a car. Can you help?

(Mrs Joan Ogonovsky, 13 October 2008)

A.

While the laws regarding the transport of children are specific, they can be a bit confusing. Although you didn’t specifically say that your son was wearing a seat belt when your friend was stopped by the traffic warden, I’m assuming that he was. According to current law in the UK, your friend was not acting unlawfully in transporting your son, so the traffic warden was out of line to suggest that she was. If he was unbelted, however, then he would not have been allowed to ride in the front seat and the warden was partially correct.

With regards to Car seat laws in the UK, here are the specifics that apply to your son, at age 7 and 140cm. Normally, 7 year olds require booster seats (they are necessary until the age of 12, unless the child is at least 135cm tall), but since your son is tall for his age, the law does not require him to use one. Additionally, there is no law that prevents him from riding in the front seat of a car, as long as he is wearing a seat belt.

While the law was not broken when your friend transported your son from school, it is important to remember that it is considered far safer for children to ride in the rear seat of a car than up front. Additionally, booster seats, while not required for a child of your son’s height, do provide an additional layer of safety, and the Department for Transport recommends that children should continue using booster seats until they are 150cm tall. So, for everyday transportation, he would ideally be seated in a back seat booster that is appropriate for his weight.

If the situation was to arise again and your son needs to unexpectedly be transported by a friend, he can ride in the front seat if he wears a seat belt. Children or any other passengers cannot ride in a car without wearing a seat belt.

When placing children in the front seat of a car you must also consider the airbag, and if the car has one it MUST be switched off. Children have been killed by car airbags, even when the collision was only a minor one and one which wouldn't have normally resulted in death.

Even at the age of 7 and at the height of 140cm your is still at risk from the car airbag if he is in the front seat of a car. Children of that age and even older have not fully developed and can not withstand the force with which the airbag is released. This is because their back, neck and stomach muscles are weaker than that of an adult. A child's head is also out of proportion to the rest of their body which makes it harder for them to kept an upright position during collisions, resulting in their body being propelled further forward than an adult and thus increasing the impact as they hit the airbag.

As a guide children under the age of 12 should sit in the back seat on the correct child seat for their age, so for your son of 7 that would be a booster seat. Contrary to popular belief the safest place for a child to sit is the middle seat of the back seat of the car, as long as it has a 3 point seat belt.

If you, or anyone transporting your child, do put your child in the front seat of the car make sure that the airbag is turned off and that the seat is slid backwards so it is further away from the dashboard. If your airbag does not have a switch to turn it off you can have on installed, the car manufacturer will be able to do this.

You should never place a baby in a rear facing car seat in the front seat of a car which has an air bag. The position of the car seat places the baby's head in the direct firing line of the airbag - which is released at a speed of approximately 200mph!

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Hi, I have 3 children under 7, one of them has to sit in the front seat as you simply just cannot get 2 boosters and a full car seat in the rear of the car.Looking forwards to them getting taller!
Charlie123 - 10-Jan-13 @ 10:16 AM
I saw a child of about 3 sat in a booster seat , which was attached to the front passenger seat , is that legal
joe - 9-Jan-13 @ 11:29 AM
my grandaughter is 7 years old and is 138cm in height and always sits in the front of the car as she gets terrible car sickness if she sits in the back.Is this legal?She has a booster seat that she sits on all the time?
fabslimmer - 30-Dec-12 @ 3:55 PM
No they shouldnt have air bags they are naughtybut they need to be told off by the police!
dyl - 8-Nov-12 @ 5:02 PM
adults shoudnt let six olds in the front its the law
dyl - 8-Nov-12 @ 4:59 PM
I was told you have to be 10 or over to sit in the front seat in a car is this true?
jack - 4-Aug-12 @ 6:04 AM
My son is 9 yrs old he is bigger than 140 cm can he sit in the front seat or not?
jack - 4-Aug-12 @ 5:58 AM
We are in the process of purchasing a van to travel to Spain. I was wondering if our 4yr old can sit in the front passenger seat?
Massa - 25-Jul-12 @ 3:55 PM
I have a motorhome with three seats in the front my granddaughters are all in the region of 2 years old, can I carry them in the front seat with the childs car seat.
wills - 1-Apr-12 @ 4:16 AM
Children are allowed to sit in the front passenger seat of a car as long as they are using the correct child seat for their age and the front passenger air bag is turned off.
SafeKids - 5-Mar-12 @ 12:06 PM
I have a 3 year old daughter I have been told recently that she is not aloud to sit in the front passenger seat even if she is in a booster is this right?
jade - 2-Mar-12 @ 7:29 PM
I have 3 children, aged 7,4 and 2. I drive a old shape Fiesta, as all car seats can not fit in the back, who do I place in front passenger seat??
zoe - 19-Nov-11 @ 10:46 AM
My grandaughter is nearly 7 and I want to know if she can sit in the front of my car on a booster seat
pat allchurch - 7-Sep-11 @ 2:46 PM
I believe that many parents have the same problem. This article helps to solve this question and parents can obtain quite a lot of information they need here.
Amy - 10-Aug-11 @ 6:34 AM
Can I carry a baby (obviously in a child seat) in a 2 seater car (with no airbag)?
Kazza - 3-Jul-11 @ 8:54 PM
Can children sit in a front seat with an air bag ?
jim - 21-Jun-11 @ 7:53 AM
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