Here is an at a glance summary of the rules on child restraints for cars, vans and goods vehicles. The latest rules date from September 2006.
1. What do you mean by “child restraints”?
“Child restraints” refers to:
- baby seats
- child seats
- booster seats
- booster cushions
This table is a summary of the rules for cars, vans and other goods vehicles.
| Front seat | Rear seat | Who is responsible? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child up to 3 years old | Correct child restraint must be used | Correct child restraint must be used. If a restraint is not available in a licensed taxi/private hire vehicle, the child may travel unrestrained. | Driver |
| Child from 3rd birthday up to 135cms in height (approx 4′ 5″) or 12th birthday, whichever they reach first | Correct child restraintmust be used | Where seat belts are fitted, the correct child restraint must be used. The child must use adult belt if the correct child restraint is not available as follows:
A child 3 years and over may travel unrestrained in the rear seat of a vehicle if seat belts are not fitted in the rear. |
Driver |
| Child over 135cm (approx 4 foot 5 inches) in height, or 12 or 13 years old | Seat beltmust be worn if available. | Seat belt must be worn if available. | Driver |
| Passengers aged 14 years old and over | Seat beltmust be worn if available. | Seat belt must be worn if available. | Passenger |
Motorhomes / Campervans are treated in the same way as cars, vans and goods vehicles for seat belt wearing purposes. Please scroll down to Q13 below for advice about child seats and vehicles with sideways-facing rear seats.
2. Why do children need child restraints in the car? When a vehicle is involved in a crash it comes to an abrupt halt. If they’re not restrained, the people inside the vehicle will crash into parts of the vehicle itself. Restraints are designed to stop this from happening and to distribute the forces of a crash over the strongest parts of the human body, with minimum damage to the soft tissues.
Two or three-point seat belts are not designed for children. Children are not small adults – they are proportioned differently and their key organs are in different places. They need a child restraint system to cope with the different stages of their development.
Infants: a relatively small impact can result in significant injury to an infant’s skull and brain. The smaller the child, the lower the force needed to cause injury. The infant rib cage is also very flexible and impact to the chest can cause compression of the chest wall onto the heart, lungs and abdominal organs.
The infant pelvis can’t withstand the forces from an adult restraint system. A rear-facing child restraint system is the only solution to protect infants up to 9kg weight.
Childhood: The bone-making process isn’t complete until the age of 6 or 7, and throughout childhood a child’s skull isn’t as strong as that of an adult. A restraint system needs to limit forward head movement in a frontal impact and provide protection from intrusion in a side impact.
The best type of child restraint for early childhood is the child safety seat. These may be either forwards or rearwards facing and are fitted with an integral harness which secures the child and spreads the crash forces over a wide area. This seat will last a child until they weigh 18kg or they grow too tall for the height of the adjustable harness.
Booster seats are used only when a child is too heavy for a child seat. They are designed for weights from 15kg to 36kg. They raise the child so that the adult seat belt lies properly across the chest and low across the pelvis. Those with backs will provide more support for a child.
If the adult belt is too high across the stomach, the child could be seriously injured in a crash, or they could slip under the seat belt. Booster seats also have backs and can provide some protection in a side impact.
3. Surely adult seat belts are OK for older children?
Adult seat belts are best for people over 150cm (approximately 5′) in height and with an adult bone structure. Children need to use child restraints to get the full benefit of the adult seat belt. They put them in the right position to benefit from the adult seat belt. The law uses the 135cm height to help parents whose older children may resist using “baby seats” and who may distract the driver. Ideally, if you can, keep your children on their boosters until they reach 150cm.
The lap belt element of an adult seat belt needs to go as low as possible over the stomach. A child needs to be boosted up so the adult belt fits properly. If not, the adult belt sits too high over the stomach and in a crash there is a risk of damaging internal organs as well as of slipping out under the belt.
There are four groups of restraints designed for children of different weights. These are:
Group 0 and Group 0+. These are baby seats – rear-facing and for children up to 10kg and up to 13kg respectively.
Group I. Forward or rearward facing child seats for children weighing 9kg to 18kg.
Group II. Booster (seats) designed for children from 15kg to 25kg and, in the case of Group II and Group II combined boosters, up to 36kg. These may or may not have backs.
Group III. Booster (cushions) for children from 22kg and up to 36kg. These generally do not have backs.
The weight ranges overlap and manufacturers can use names different to those used above. Some manufacturers have produced designs which cover more than one weight group. For example, it’s possible to buy a restraint which looks similar to a booster cushion but is actually approved for Group II and Group III, so can be used for children from 15kg.
There are also multi-stage restraints which cover Groups I to III, with elements that may be removed as a child grows.
The main difference between Groups I and II is the integral harness or impact shield used in Group I restraints. A child must have one of these until it weighs at least 15kg. Group I seats are designed for a weight range up to 18kg so it’s good practice to delay moving a child up to Group II for as long as it is comfortable in the Group I seat provided you change when the upper weight limit is reached.
Child restraints from abroad.
Child restraints type-approved in North America/Australia etc are not generally type-approved for use in Europe (some may have been – check the label or with the manufacturer). Only European approved restraints can be used in the UK.
For full safety standards and details of the groups, see Advice and tips
4. Why can’t I use a rear-facing baby or child seat in a seat protected by an active frontal air-bag?
Air bags are powerful safety devices. In a crash, a rear-facing seat would be hit by a frontal air bag, which could injure the child. The seat could also be knocked up and towards the rear of the vehicle which means that the seat and child could be completely unrestrained after the first impact.
5. Can I use a forward-facing child seat or booster in a seat fitted with an active air-bag?
Check what your car handbook says about children in seats with frontal air bags, as this can vary from car to car. We strongly recommend that you follow the advice given by your car manufacturer and also that the seat of the car should be as far back as possible from an air bag.
6. My child is the right weight to move up into the next Group restraint, but they are comfortable in their existing seat. Do I have to change their seat?
Yes! The law says that children must use the correct child restraint for their weight.
7. How do the height and age rules work together?
These examples should help you to decide whether a child is subject to the new rules or not:
- a 7-year-old boy who is 120cm tall must use a child restraint, as he is under the height threshold;
- a 9-year-old girl who is 140cm tall is over the height threshold for a child restraint and may use an adult seat belt;
- a 12-year-old boy who is 130cm tall is over the age threshold and so he may use an adult belt.
8. My child is under 135cm tall, but already weighs more than 36kg. Should he use the adult belt?
No. A child under 135cm must use a child restraint. It’s far better to use a booster and an adult belt even if a child is over 36kg rather than using the adult belt alone. If there is a crash, it is the adult seat belt (which is tested to cope with adult weights) that will take the force of the impact, not the booster.
The approval process for child restraints requires manufacturers to test their products for specified weight ranges. The highest range for these tests is 22kg to 36kg – the weight ranges shown on the labels are those for which the tests have been done.
In practice however, such boosters can take weights greater than 36kg. They are simply polystyrene foam blocks in the form of a hard cushion, some with guides for locating the adult seat belt. If there is a crash, it is the seat belt that takes the loads.
9. Are there any exceptions to the rules?
There are a few specific occasions when a child can travel without the correct restraint. See exceptions to the rules in the Overview section for more details.
10. Can children travel in the front seat? What about two-seaters and convertibles?
Apart from those in rear-facing seats when there is an active front air-bag, children can travel in the front seat of any vehicle provided they are properly restrained. This includes 2-seaters or convertibles, even if the top is down.
For more on baby seats and air bags, see Q4.
For more on child seats and air bags, see Q5.
11. Can I use seat belt adjusters instead of a child restraint?
That depends on the type of adjuster. Seat belt adjusters are designed for comfort, not safety, so you should check carefully what the manufacturer says about their intended use.
An adjuster is only acceptable instead of an approved child seat or booster if it’s specifically labelled as approved – it will have a capital “E” in a circle in the same way a child seat/booster.
A claim that a product has been crash tested to the standard is not the same as saying it is approved as a child restraint. We are not aware of any adjuster that is approved.
12. My child is disabled - does the law apply to them?
Yes. Children with disabilities must use child restraints or seat belts in the same way as other children. However, an exception in the regulations allows them to use disabled person’s seat belts or child restraints designed for their needs instead of regular child restraints or the standard seat belts installed in cars.
Information on disabled person’s seat belts and child restraints is available from specialist child restraint or harness manufacturers.
If there is a medical reason for not using a child restraint or seat belt, then a doctor can decide whether to issue an exemption certificate on medical grounds. Learn more about medical exemptions from wearing a seat belt
13. What do I do if my vehicle -
- has no seat belts, or no rear seat belts?
If a vehicle has no seat belts – if it’s a classic car, for example – a child aged 3 years and over is allowed to travel in a rear seat unrestrained.
A child under 3 years old may not travel in cars, vans or goods vehicles which do not have seat belts.
- only has lap belts?
A child is not exempt from using a child restraint in a seat with only a lap belt.
It is difficult to find a child seat or booster that the manufacturer has designed to be used just with a lap belt and you may need to talk to a specialist supplier. Alternatively, consider fitting a lap and diagonal belt in the car. If a manufacturer says that a particular child restraint system is only suitable for use with a lap and diagonal belt, or that their product should not be used with a lap belt only, you should take this seriously.
A lap belt doesn’t provide maximum protection for a child, whether it’s used with a booster or not. The child’s unrestrained upper body is liable to pivot around the lap belt with the increased risk of injury to the soft tissues of the abdomen. A lap belt may also be difficult to fit properly on a child.
Children may need to be moved round the vehicle so that they use seats where their child seats/boosters can be fitted, including a front seat – but check advice about children and air-bags – see Qs 4 and 5.
- has no rear seats?
Apart from those in rear-facing seats when there is an active front air-bag, children can travel in the front seat of any vehicle provided they are properly restrained. This includes 2-seaters or convertibles, even if the top is down.
See more on baby seats and air bags – see Q5.
See more on child seats and air bags – see Q6.
- has sideways-facing seats?
There’s no legal requirement to fit seat belts in sideways-facing seats. The human body bends forward from the waist – not sideways – so the potential for internal and spinal injury is high if a passenger uses a seat belt in a sideways-facing seat. For similar reasons child seats and boosters cannot be approved for using in a sideways-facing seat.
Therefore, a child who is required to use a child seat/booster (ie, all those under 135 cm tall who are also under 12 years old) cannot travel in a sideways-facing seat. A child who needs to use a child seat or booster must use a forward or rear-facing seat.
- has small extra seats only suitable for children?
Some estate cars and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) have small seats at the very rear or in the luggage compartment for use by children. Some sports cars or convertibles also have small rear seats that are only big enough for children. These seats may only be used without a child seat or booster if they are approved in the same way as a child seat/booster and therefore take the place of a child seat/booster.
If the seat is approved, it will have a label with an “E” in a circle and the weight range of the child for which it is designed – this last point is quite important – they will almost always be designed for children from 15kg and up. Check with the car handbook or the vehicle manufacturer whether the seat is approved.
If it is not labelled then a child seat/booster will still be needed if a child is to use that seat. If that doesn’t fit properly, then a child cannot use that seat in the vehicle.
- is a motorhome / campervan with no rear seat belts?
A child under 3 years old must use the correct baby/child seat in the front or rear at all times in cars/campers/goods vehicles, so can’t travel in the rear if seat belts are not fitted. It could, of course, travel in the front provided that seat belts are fitted in the front. A child of 3 years and above, and up to 135cm tall, must use a child seat/booster in the rear where seat belts are fitted (however see the warning about sideways-facing seats above).
- is a limousine, or a wedding or funeral car?
These sorts of vehicle are treated in the same way as any other saloon car and so child restraints must be used where relevant. Owners may want to ask parents to bring their own child restraints with them – remember that it is the driver who is responsible and it is the driver who would be prosecuted if children travel when not properly secured.
14. I have an old car and there are no seatbelts. Do I have to fit them?
No. The rules don’t require the fitment of seat belts in vehicles that don’t have them. However, cars dating from 1965 should have front seat belts and those from April 1987 should have rear seat belts. Cars dating from April 1982 should have seat belt anchorage points if they don’t have seat belts, making it easier to fit them if you want to. The rules are different for vans and goods vehicles.
Remember though, if there are no seat belts then you cannot use child restraints. The normal rules for the use of child restraints and seat belts apply in old cars as well as in vans and other goods vehicles.
15. How do I carry children if there are too many people in the vehicle for everybody to have a seat belt?
What you may not do is use one seat belt for two passengers of any age. You also mustn’t carry a child on your lap.
These are both very dangerous ways of carrying children even for a short journey. If there is a crash, an adult will not be able to hold on to an unrestrained child. Two children sharing a belt risk crushing each other and serious head injuries.
Make sure that everyone uses a seat belt/child restraint. The law means that children under 135cms must use child restraints with few exceptions. It may mean that there may not be room for some adults.
16. Who is responsible for making sure children use child restraints and what are the penalties?
Drivers are legally responsible for making sure that children aged under 14use seat belts or child restraints in cars, minibuses, vans and other goods vehicles.
Children aged 14 and over are responsible for themselves. There is a £60 fixed penalty for non-compliance, and, if a case goes to court, the maximum fine is £500. Penalty points will not be given.
17. Can I use a second-hand child seat or booster?
Beware of second-hand child seats. Are they the up-to-date? Do they have the correct fittings and instructions, and have they been in a crash already?
18. What is ISOFix?
These are anchorage points that are increasingly being installed in new cars. The main advantage is that they allow a child restraint to be fixed safely to the main structure of the car, helping minimise the risk of poor or incorrect installation.
Having permanent fixtures in each seat position also means that ISOFiX compatible child restraints with ISOFiX fittings will be able to be fitted and released very easily without needing to use the adult seat belts.
Some child seats already have ISOFiX fittings. Check with the child seat manufacturers which of their products has them and which cars they fit.
