Children and babies in the car: Then they can ride in the front

Created: 07/10/2022, 16:30

By: Marcus Efler

For many motorists, one thing is clear: children belong in the back seat.

They can easily ride in the front – under these conditions.

Parents in the front, the children in the back seat: this has been the classic family outing for decades.

Basically, the seating arrangement dates back to the time when there were no child seats and not even seat belts.

Even if only one parent is traveling with the offspring, it is still the standard today.

There are now many reasons to let the kids sit in the passenger seat.

Smaller ones are in the field of vision and within reach of their father or mother behind the wheel, while larger ones find it cool to program the navigation system or determine the Spotify playlist.

And in the two-seater coupé there is no alternative anyway.

Children and babies in the car: Then they can ride in the front

The little ones ride in front: No problem with the right child seat.

(Iconic image) © Imagebroker/Imago

In any case, the road traffic regulations have no objections.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no age limit for sitting or lying in the front: Even a baby just a few days old can travel there.

A prerequisite is, of course, a correct child seat or baby seat.

"If the child is under the age of twelve or shorter than 1.50 meters, a child seat is compulsory," explains Stefan Ehl, motor vehicle expert at the expert organization KÜS.

Baby carriers are usually installed "reboard", i.e. against the direction of travel, the passenger airbag must then be deactivated.

"Should it be triggered in an accident, the child would be exposed to considerable risk of injury," says Stefan Ehl.

Most cars have a key switch on board for this.

Children and babies in the car: it's not always safer in the back

Forward-facing seats for larger children are not affected by airbag restriction.

However, if a passenger airbag is on board, the corresponding seat must be pushed back as far as possible so that the child does not sit too close to the airbag.

But where is the offspring safest?

There is no general answer to this - in the event of a frontal crash, for example, the rear seats are better, and in the event of a rear-end collision, the front seats are of course better.

"Basically, the rear seat of the vehicle generally offers more safety," says KÜS man Ehl.

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Children and babies in the car: Some other rules apply abroad

In addition, you should also read the instructions for use of your vehicle to find out what recommendations the respective car manufacturers give for taking children on the passenger side.

"In some cases, for example, side airbags that cannot be deactivated are on board, which when triggered can push a child seat out of a safe position, which is why manufacturers advise against mounting a child seat in the front," says Stefan Ehl.

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Incidentally, anyone who does not place children in the car in accordance with the regulations must expect fines of between 30 and 70 euros and possibly a Flensburg point.

And caution is also advisable on holiday trips: in some countries, driving in the front passenger seat is actually only permitted from a certain age.

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