Understanding child car seat laws and how to properly install one is crucial to your child’s safety. Regulations have been refreshed lately, yet not everyone knows.

If you use a car seat that isn’t right for your child or that isn’t fitted correctly. You could face a £500 fine, and your child won’t be protected as well in the event of a crash. Peruse the RAC’s manual to guarantee you keep your kid safe and remain on the right side of the law.

Flow UK regulations on utilizing child vehicle seats

Beforehand, kids who weighed just 15kg could utilize sponsor seats. But worries over security brought about an adjustment to the law. From Walk 1, 2017, all new-to-showcase bare-backed sponsor seats are only supported for youngsters weighing more than 22 kg or taller than 125 cm.

It is essential to remember that the regulations apply to newly manufactured & designed booster seatssold after March 1. Seats manufactured prior to this date are subject to the previous regulations. Only seats supported by the EU are legitimate in the UK: these will have a mark with a capital ‘E’ all around.

When should my child use which seat?

 You can pick a vehicle seat for your kid depending on either the kid’s level or weight. i-Size seats are height-based child seats. There are a number of choices for weight-based child seats:

• 0 to 10 grams
• 13 grams
• 9 to 18 grams,
• 15 to 25 grams
• 22 to 36 grams.

Until they are 15 months old, children must use a seat that faces the rear. If the passenger side of the vehicle has an active airbag. You should never install a child seat that faces the rear in the front.

A backless booster seat is suitable for children who are taller than 125 cm and weigh more than 22 kg. A child seat is not required for children under the age of 12 or who are taller than 135 cm. Before this age or level, they should do so by regulation. Using ISOFIX mountings or a diagonal seat belt strap, child seats must be installed. A high-back booster seat is recommended for younger children.

What changed about the child car seat laws?

Backless booster seats are unsafe for young children due to their lack of security, according to experts. Due to the fact that it is not guided across the body in the same manner as a booster seat. A standard seat belt provides little protection for a child in the event of a side-on collision.

Britax’s European Product Expert Mark Bennett stated: Since children’s safety in car seats is a perennial topic in Europe. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that regulations have been improved, particularly with regard to booster cushions.”

“Booster cushions do not provide protection for the head or sides. Which is essential for young children because they are still developing. They are more susceptible to trauma in the event of an accident.” Additionally, Britax has been urging parents to “bin the booster” for years. Using a highback booster is the most effective way to protect a child of this size & weight while they are in transit. To ensure the best protection for their children, we recommend that parents look for highback booster seats. With deep protective side wings, head support, and seat belt guides.

When can children legally travel without a car seat?

According to UK law, a child must use a child car seat until they are 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall. Whichever comes first. Youngsters beyond 12 years old or more than 135 cm tall should wear a safety belt.

There are special cases when a child doesn’t have to legitimately utilize a vehicle seat. If the driver does not provide the appropriate child car seat. A child can travel in a taxi or minicab without one but wearing a seat belt. If they are older than three, they must travel in the back and use an adult seat belt. Children under the age of three should not wear seat belts.

In the absence of a child car seat or an adult seat belt. Children must travel in the minibus’s rear seats when travelling in a coach or minibus. Children over the age of three who are travelling in a minibus must use a seat belt if child car seats are not installed or are deemed unsuitable.

A kid who is three or more years old may likewise utilize a grown-up safety belt if making a surprising yet vital excursion over a brief distance. Children with disabilities or medical conditions are subject to the same regulations. But they may use a child restraint or seat belt made for disabled people. A specialist might give an exclusion endorsement if it is fundamental.

However, your auto insurance may not cover you if you fail to ensure that any child passengers have the appropriate car seat in accordance with the law. They are injured or killed in an accident. even if that is car insurance for a short time.

What to search for while purchasing a kid’s vehicle seat

The simplest method for ensuring your kid is safeguarded is to search for a shiny new “I-size” vehicle seat in light of the kid’s level. All I-size vehicle seats accompany ISOFIX fitting focuses. Because of this, you won’t need to use seat belts to secure the car seat in your vehicle. ISOFIX fitting points are becoming increasingly standard on new automobiles.

With so many vehicle seats at such a price, it tends to be extremely confusing to pick the right one for your child. Avoid the temptation to purchase one online from an unknown source and buy it from a high-end retailer like Mothercare or Halfords.

Handed-down seats are frequently modest. Yet you don’t have the foggiest idea about their experiences. Or whether they’ve been involved in an accident that could have harmed them. All vehicle seats utilized in the UK should be European-endorsed. When looking for a label that complies with the most recent regulations, look for one that features a circle with the capital “E.”

The facts about car seats and safety It wasn’t until the 1960s that child seats were given any real thought. Even then, they were just booster seats made to give kids a better view out the windows. Rather than to keep them safe if they crashed. Volvo has gained notoriety for being the first to make progress with well-being. So it’s nothing unexpected that it sent off a youngster seat model in 1964.

Bertil Aldman, a doctor who went on to become a professor of traffic safety at Chalmers University of Technology. He developed the very first child seat prototype and put it through its paces in a Volvo PV544. He was inspired by the way astronauts travel backward. From 1967, the Volvo Amazon had a front passenger seat that could be completely turned around. Keeping a child in place with straps and a padded backrest.

In 1976, the company introduced the world’s first booster cushion. And in 1990, the Volvo 960 featured an integrated booster cushion. Incredibly, Child Car Seat Laws require children to use special car seats were not enacted until 2006. Seatbelts did not become a legal requirement for passengers in the rear seat until 1987.

The Child car seat laws require all children travelling in the front or rear seat of any car. Van or goods vehicle must use the correct child car seat. Until they are either 135 cm in height or 12 years old (which ever they reach first). After this they must use an adult seat belt. There are very few exceptions. It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that children under the age of 14 years are restrained correctly in accordance with the law. The law is different for buses, coaches and minibuses with seat belts fitted.