When Should I Allow my Child to Sit in the Front Seat?
Although your child will always be safer in the back seat of the car, there comes a time when they want to sit in the front seat with you, and after having them in the back seat for so long, you might be inclined to put them in the front seat with you. However, you need to consider some safety issues and some height information before you allow your child to sit in the front seat. Every kid wants to sit up front with their mum or dad, and eventually they will, but there is no reason to unnecessarily put them in harm's way just so they can enjoy looking out the windscreen or feeling like an adult.
Height and Age
Legally, the age at which most children can sit in the front seat of a car can begin when they are first born as long as the proper restraint is used, such as the proper child seat. This is, however, not recommended as a child is safer in the back seat, regardless of the car value depreciations, according to statistics. You can keep your child in the front seat next to you whenever you would like, but they must be in the right restraint according to age and height, and always wearing their seat belt if there is no restraint.
It is recommended that children use booster seats until they are over 150cm tall, so if your child is below this height, you might consider a booster seat in the front of the car. The whole point is that the child will be tall enough that the airbag will not injure them if you are involved in a collision and that the seat belts will not injure them either. Since front airbags and seat belts are designed with adults in mind, it is important to remember that if you collide with another vehicle and the airbag deploys, you could seriously injure your child if they are not at the right height. The height can be increased by a booster seat, but don't forget that the safest place for a child is in the back seat of the car.
A booster seat is required for children until they are 12 years old, regardless of if they sit in the front or back seat. If the child is taller than 135cm, however, they do not need to be in a booster seat, regardless of age. As previously mentioned, the general recommendation is that a child remains in a booster seat until they are over 150cm tall, but they may get a bit sick of the booster seat at around 12 years old and 135cm tall, so you can legally let them out of the booster seat at that point. With regards to putting them in the passenger seat next to you, as long as you are comfortable with them being there, you can legally do it with the proper restraints. However, it is very important to remember that until your child is around 12 or so years old or above 135cm in height, you should keep them in the back seat.
The Back Seat
It cannot be stressed enough that you will find much more protection for your child in the back seat of your car than the front. Wait as long as you can before you allow your child to sit in the front childs car seat next to you and put their safety first by keeping them in the back seat until they are above 150cm tall. This way, you know that they will be properly protected if you are involved in a collision.