Child Car Seats

Car seat safety

Safety is always of paramount importance in family cars, but the majority of safety systems in modern vehicles are built with adult passengers in mind. Riders of smaller stature fare poorly when seatbelts and other safety devices are too big for them. Thankfully, laws and design standards are in place to ensure that aftermarket booster and child seats and ensure a safe ride for little passengers, with new laws in place from 2017. 

This section covers everything you need to know about safe child seating, including:

Child seat law basics

Generally, children must use the correct car seat for their weight (rather than age or height) until they reach 135cm tall (4'5") or 12 years old (whichever comes first). When carrying children as passengers in a vehicle, there are a few things to bear in mind, whatever their weight or age:

• A child must never be carried on your lap
• A single seatbelt should never be used for two passengers
• A child must sit in a car seat until they are 12 years old or 4'5" tall, depending on which comes first
• If the child is older than 15 months, the seat can be front-facing. If the child is younger than 15 months, the seat must be rear-facing.
• If the child weighs less than 9kg, they should travel in a baby carrier rather than a child seat.
• Any seat used must be EU approved (look for a label showing a capital ‘E’ in a circle)
• Secondhand child seats must meet safety standards and the buyer should check that it hasn’t previously been involved in a crash
• Child car seats must not be used in side-facing seats
• A child is allowed to sit in a backless booster seat once they are over 4'1" tall and weigh over 22kg.
• Exceptions are made with emergency journeys of a short distance with a child over the age of three or when travelling in a minibus, minicab, tax, coach or van (but not in the front) and for journeys where a third child's seat simply won't fit in the back of a car with two others and the child is aged over three.

Baby car seat safety in particular is of paramount importance and a topic that we explore in further detail in the types of child car seat section.

Who is responsible?

The driver of the vehicle is legally responsible to ensure that all child passengers are wearing their seatbelts and using the appropriate seat or child restraint.

Other instances where children don’t need to travel with a car seat include:

• In a licensed taxi, minicab or minibus, children under the age of three can travel in the rear seats of the vehicle without a child restraint or seatbelt. Children three years old or older must wear an adult seatbelt.
• If the correct child restraint isn’t available, a child over three years old can use an adult seatbelt for an unexpected but necessary short journey.      

If there is no room for a three child seats in the back, a child over the age of three can sit in the back using an adult belt, or in the front with the correct child seat. A child under the age of three cannot travel unless they sit in the front with the correct child restraint

For more information about the legalities of using a child car seat, visit Gov.uk

Types of child car seat

The different types of child car seats and their uses are as follows:

Adjustable car seats

Some manufacturers offer adjustable car seats that are designed to be adapted as a child grows. Be sure that you are using the appropriate setup for your child’s weight by following the instructions or checking the label.

Integrated child-sized seats

Some vehicles are fitted with integrated child-sized seats. If the seat is EU approved, an additional child restraint will not need to be used, providing the child is of the correct weight (check the label or car handbook for confirmation).

If the integrated seat is not EU approved, a child seat will still need to be used in its place. Gov.uk offers more information about the suitability of different types of car seat.

How to fit a child's car seat

• The seatbelt feeds through the holes in the child restraint without obstructions (applicable only for seats secured using an adult seatbelt)
• There is enough space for your child to stretch his or her legs
• There is minimal sideways or forward movement of the seat
• Only the seatbelt – not the buckle – is touching the car seat (applicable only for seats secured using an adult seatbelt)
• Any rear-facing child car seats are not in front of an active airbag
• There is nothing between the bottom of the child restraint and the actual car seat
• The adult seatbelt fits properly across your child when the seat is fitted, for example it doesn’t sit under the child’s arm, too close to their neck, and isn’t twisted or too loose (applicable only for seats secured using an adult seatbelt)

You can also check out this great video from Mother&Baby: