Children Car Seats - What You Must Know To Protect Your Children

Child Car Seats - Our Legal Guide

UK law on children in car seats and air bags: essential advice that could save your child's life in the event of a car accident

The law applying to child car seats changed in September 2006 meaning that all children under 14 should have some form of extra restraint as appropriate to their weight and age.

Car seats are sold in stages and range from rear-facing carriers for babies up to the weight of 13kg to forward facing seats from 9 months to four years. After this age, booster seats can be used till the child reaches the height of 1.35 metres.

The new law states that it is illegal to install a rear-facing child seat in the front of any car when the air bag feature has not been disabled. Instead, it is recommended that instead any rear facing infant seat should be installed behind the driver on the rear seat.

Frontal airbags and side air bags are fitted as standard in new cars within the UK and are designed to double up on the effectiveness of the traditional three-point seat belts, which have been compulsory in new cars since 1967.

Containing 35 litres of propellant, air bags inflate within 25 milliseconds to full capacity at a speed of 160mph, which goes some way to explain why it is imperative to deactivate any air bag if the child is to be carried in the front.

Up to the age of three it should always be observed that no child should travel unrestrained unless in the exception of travelling in a taxi or licensed car hire vehicle where no restraint is available.

The use of the correct car seat for your child's weight is essential, though it is also very important to make sure that your child's seat is installed properly and is the right design for your car. With so many variables in the types of design it can be a hard job to choose which of the many seats available is the best for your car.

Choosing the most expensive seat is not always the right decision; with factors such as sloping rear seats in some cars affecting how the child's seat sits once installed, it really is best to 'try before you buy' and check that your seat belts are long enough to reach round the design of your chosen seat.

When installing any of these types of seats follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter and if you are experiencing difficulties, check with the retailer about any of the aspects of installation before carrying a child in your new seat.

The RAC have estimated that 7 out of 10 car seats are not being used effectively so make sure that yours is not one of these statistics by visiting one of the installation centres available at some police stations and hospitals throughout the country.

It is advisable to check that this facility is available before going along to your local station, and if this help is not available get in touch with the manufacturer of the car seat itself.

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