Transporting children in the car
The safe transport of children in the car always raises many questions for parents: Can babies be transported in the front seat? Do other children sitting in the back seat have to be strapped in? Are all child seats suitable? Can a booster seat be used? The telephone calls that the ACL regularly receives on this subject show that many people still remember information that is largely out of date.
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Important provisions of the Highway Code
Here are the most important provisions of the current road traffic regulations concerning the proper transport of children in cars:
- Children under the age of three must always be seated in a suitable child seat approved to an authorised standard, even if they are being transported in a rear seat. These children must always wear the seat belt or, if this is not possible, at least use the lap belt.
- Children who are under 18 years of age and less than 150 cm tall but weigh more than 36 kg may be transported in a rear seat without sitting in a child seat. However, these children must wear the seat belt or, if necessary, only the lap belt.
- On occasional short journeys, children between the ages of 3 and under 18 who are smaller than 150 cm may be transported in the rear seat without a child seat , but only in a vehicle in which no more than 5 seats are registered in the vehicle licence. Of course, these children must still wear the seat belt or, if necessary, only the lap belt.
- Every child, regardless of size or age, is considered a full seat in a vehicle. The following therefore applies: one child = one full seat.
- If a child is only strapped into the rear seat with the lap belt, the seat in front of the child must be moved forwards to prevent the child’s head from hitting the backrest of the front seat in the event of a collision.
- For safety reasons, the use of a rearward-facing restraint system (Maxi-Cosi seat) is prohibited in seats with a front airbag unless it is deactivated.
- Transporting a child in a vehicle in a manner that does not comply with the regulations will result in a warning of €145 and the loss of 2 points on your driving licence.
When travelling abroad, the regulations of the country you are travelling through or visiting always apply.
Summarising
| Age/size | Front of car | Rear of car |
| Less than 3 years | Approved special restraint system* | Approved special restraint system* |
| From 3 to under 18 years and less than 150 cm | Approved special restraint system* | Approved special restraint system*/** |
| From 3 to under 18 years and more than 150 cm | Safety belt | Safety belt |
| From 18 years | Safety belt | Safety belt |
*A child seat or a booster seat are such special restraint devices, provided they are suitable for the weight of the child and are approved, i.e. bear the ECE-R44 mark (ECE-R44/03, ECE-R44/04 or R129 (also known as ‘i-Size’)).
**In two exceptional cases, these children may be transported without a special restraint system but using the seat belt, the lap belt of which can be used alone:
- Occasional short-distance transport and if no approved special restraint system is available and in a passenger car in which no more than 5 seats are registered on the registration card.
- Transport of a third child if the installation of a third approved special restraint system is not possible due to lack of space.
For further information, please contact ACL on 45 00 45 or acl@acl.lu.