What are the rules for letting children ride in the front car seat?

By dpa | 7 August 2020


BERLIN: The fight between siblings for the front passenger seat in the car is a time-honoured tradition for many families. For many children, it's an honour to get to sit with Mom or Dad up front.

But kids first need to be big enough to sit in the front seat before they can start fighting over it.

Regardless of age, "a child who is at least 150cm tall can sit up front," says Andreas Schaeuble, from the Dekra expert group. The minimum age varies between countries, but 12 years old is a good benchmark for when a child can sit in the front regardless of size.

Children under age 12 and smaller than 1.5 metres should sit in seats equipped with seat belts. And "in the case of vintage cars that are not equipped with seat belts, children under 3 years old should not be taken along," period, according to Schaeuble. After that age, they should be able to ride along, but only in the rear seats of the car.

Another thing to keep in mind for driving around kids: Rear-facing baby carriers that also do double duty as car seats should only be buckled in the front seat if the passenger airbag can be deactivated.

"Correctly securing a child is of central importance in order to not endanger his health," says the accident researcher from Dekra. Otherwise the child could, in the worst case, suffer serious injuries in a collision. In general, it's a good idea to have a car seat suitable for the child's height and weight, and it should be regularly checked that the child is being buckled into it properly.

"When buying a car seat, take the child and car along, and try out everything to make sure that it fits," says Schaeuble, who also recommends reading through the operating instructions thoroughly, and not just rely on instinct in order to get it right. "Also pay attention to the information about the seat's durability," he says.

Keywords