Orthopedic chairs - Child car seat

Child car seat - Legal requirements in the UK

Please be aware that it is your responsibility to make yourself aware of the laws relating to child car seats in your country. Failure to do so may endanger your child (or any other child who travels in your car) and you may be subject to prosecution under the law.

The information below is for general guidance only. Please ensure that you are fully conversation with the law and car child seats.

In the UK the law governing car child seats can be quite complicated and it is separated into age groups and heights. The summary below is general and applies to a privately owned car or vehicle.

The first thing that you as a driver need to know is that it is you, and not the child, who are responsible for ensuring that anyone under 14 years of age wears an appropriate restraint or seat belt in your car. Anyone 14 years of age or older is deemed to be responsible for their own seated car safety.

Babies of 9 kg or less should be seated facing backwards. However they should never be placed in a front passenger seat where an active airbag is present.

Children 3 years old or under must use a seat with the correct seat restraint. If a child in this category is carried in a seat in the front of the vehicle the seat cannot be rear facing unless there is no airbag, or unless the airbag can be deactivated (normal in the USA). Rear facing seats are considered desirable for all very young children.

Children older than 3, but under 12 years of age or of a height that is less than 1.35 metres tall, must continue to use an appropriate child seat and restraint combination. (There are some specific exceptions to this rule.)

Any child over 12 years old or of a height greater than 1.35 metres tall, but less than 14 years old must wear a suitable standard seat belt. This requirement must be enforced by the adult in control of the car.

In the case of a young person over 14 years of age it is their responsibility to comply with the law and wear a seat belt.

In the case of the children and young adults who are deemed to be able to wear an adult seatbelt, the rule does not apply if the vehicle is not fitted with a seatbelt.