Preparing for your children front seat car ride

Since October 1, 2015, the regulations regarding where to seat children in the car have changed. All minors shorter than 135 cm must travel in the rear seats. And secured a child restraint system adapted to their age and size. If you have never bought a child car seat, things are going to get a little tricky. Firstly, you will discover about the different groups, from 0 to III, which refer to the measurements of the child. And secondly they all have different characteristics and feature that adapt to different aspects of your child’s safety.

What happens if the minor exceeds 135 cm? In theory, the minor who exceeds 135 cm in height can go in the front seat with the seat belt fastened, but the General Directorate of Traffic recommends that until the child does not exceed 150 cm in height , it is best to travel Always in the back seat with an adapted child restraint system, although the fact of not wearing it does not imply any penalty, but it does imply an increased risk of suffering worse injuries in the event of an accident.

If you don’t comply with the law, in Spain, the penalty for the driver is 200 euros and the withdrawal of three points from the driving license. But, without a doubt, what’s the most serious are the danger to minors who do not travel with adequate safety standards.

But what happens if you have already bought a two-seater car? Or if you have three or more children who do not exceed 135 cm and you have to travel with all of them? Do not worry, the law contemplates three exceptions in which minors can travel in the front seat. But always with the appropriate child restraint systems, but if this is not the case, similar the penalty are imposed.

The law contemplates 3 exceptions :

• If the car does not have rear seats, for example a two-seater car or a van that only has three front seats.
• Incase  the car does not have rear seats and so you cannot install the child restraint systems. But there are other specific devices that can only be placed in the passenger seat. And that’s when your child can go in the front seat of the car .
• In the event that the rear seats are already fully occupied by minors with the same characteristics. If you have to travel with four children who measure equal to or less than 135 cm (or three, in the event that only two adapted child restraint systems fit in the rear seats of the vehicle), one of them must travel in the front seat, with the appropriate child seat or child restraint system.

In case you have to have your children ride in the front seat, there are some details that you must take into account. First of all, you have to place the child restraint system in the front seat. You cannot travel only with the seat belt and the law doesn’t permit it. That’s because they are not adapted to as per the kids. And they cannot provide adequate protection in case of an accident.

In the event that it is a retention system of group 0 or 0+, which includes from 0 to 13 kilos, you should know that it is placed in the reverse direction to the march , so do not forget to disconnect the airbag from the passenger seat before to boot. If your airbag cannot be automatically deactivated, you will have to go to a workshop to have it done.