Can a child be transported in the front seat in a child seat?

Driving a car is always risky. That is why drivers are obliged to adhere to the rules of the road, because their safety depends on it. Extreme caution must be observed if children are transported in the cabin. What are the rules for transporting small passengers? Can children sit in the front seat? And what is the penalty according to the Code of Administrative Offenses to the driver for violating the traffic rules regarding child car seats? I would like to dwell on these issues in more detail.

Risks of transporting children in a car, fines for violations

We have repeatedly touched on this topic on the pages of our portal vodi.su. As the disappointing statistics testify, the majority of injuries received by children in road accidents are caused by the fact that drivers do not use protective equipment correctly. For example, airbags, when fired, cause severe damage and injury to children who are in a car seat. In addition, the regular seat belt is designed for an adult passenger whose height is over 150 centimeters. For a child, it can be dangerous, since in the event of emergency braking or a head-on collision, the greatest load falls on the cervical spine of the child.

Based on all these reasons, traffic police officers, when checking vehicles, pay special attention to how children are transported.

Note:

• According to article 12.23 part 3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, if the rules for transporting children are violated, the driver will face an impressive monetary penalty three thousand Russian rubles;
• According to the fifth part of the same article, in case of improperly organized transportation of children in buses at night, the fine increases to five thousand rubles. This article also provides for the possibility suspension of a driver's license for up to six months. For legal entities or officials, the amount of the penalty will be even higher.

In order to avoid such a development of events, it is necessary to clarify the requirements for transporting children in the passenger compartment.

What do traffic rules say about transporting children?

On our vodi.su portal, we talked about a special protective device - a triangular booster, which is fastened to a regular seat belt and is used to hold a teenager in place if an emergency occurs on the road.

According to changes in the laws that were adopted in 2017, the use of a booster when transporting passengers under 12 years old in the front seat is prohibited if they have not managed to grow above 150 cm.

Traffic rules do not prevent the transportation of children in front near the driver of the vehicle, but in this case the following precautions are mandatory:

• children under the age of 12 are placed in the front seat only in an infant carrier / car seat that are suitable for the European classification adopted in the Russian Federation - height and weight;
• make sure the AirBag is turned off when the child is in the seat;
• if a child under the age of 12 has grown above 150 cm, when transporting him in the front seat, a special restraint is not used, a standard belt and booster are sufficient. In this case, the airbag must be activated.

Note that although the transportation of children in the front seat is not prohibited in the presence of a car seat, nevertheless, the safest place in the passenger compartment of a conventional car is the rear middle seat.

Regardless of the type of collision - frontal, side, rear - it is the rear center seat that is most protected. According to the traffic rules, when transporting children from 7 to 12 years old in the rear seats, a car seat is not mandatory.

Conclusions

Having familiarized ourselves with the requirements of the rules of the road, statistics on accidents, fines under the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (Article 12.23 Part 3), we come to the following conclusions:

• transportation of passengers under the age of 12 years is allowed in the front seat only if there are special restraints appropriate for the age, weight and height of small passengers;
• when transporting children in the front of the car seat, the frontal airbags must be deactivated without fail;
• if a child under the age of 12 has reached a height of 150 centimeters and a weight of over 36 kg (the maximum weight category according to the European classification), a standard seat belt in combination with a triangular booster will be sufficient;
• The safest place for children in a car seat is in the rear center seat. Children from seven to 12 years old can be transported in the back without a seat.

Important factor

I would like to focus on one point: Russian legislation does not address the issue of maximum height and weight. It is clear that an 11-year-old child whose height and weight exceed 150 centimeters and 36 kilograms will simply not fit in a car seat of the largest category. Although according to the age group, it must be in a restraint.

What to do in such a case? Experts recommend not to argue with the traffic police, but simply to buy a booster. Despite all the requirements of traffic rules and domestic legislation, the main thing that a driver should be guided by is to ensure maximum safety for himself and his passengers.

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