Can Children Ride in the Front with Airbags?
All parents will be keen to establish the best practices for keeping their children safe while they are driving. There are many different factors which surround safety for children while they are riding in the front of the car can pose a risks, such as air-bags and seat-belts. The answer will depend on the child's age and the type, if necessary, of car seat which they are using. It is paramount that parents explore all the different issues to come to a sound judgement on this issue and also note the importance of using a seat belt.
The reason why it can be dangerous for children to ride in the front seat due either to the nature of car seats to to the height of the child, and their relation to air bags. Child seats, because of their size, will bring a young child into close proximity with the air bag as it inflates. The explosive force behind the air bag has the potential, as it impacts on the child's seat, to cause serious injury from the rapid movement which results.
Children who would otherwise sit in the front facing forward are at risk because of their height. This is because air bags are designed to inflate during a crash and hold adults in place by exerting pressure on their chests. This design means that if a child were sitting in the passenger's seat, the air bag, rather than exerting pressure on their chest, would do so on their face. This could cause serious injury.
Children in Car Seats
For young children under age four, the safest form of car-seat is a rear-facing one, which must be fastened to the seat properly. This type of seat must not be used in conjunction with air bags. If the passenger side of the cab has an air bag, it should be de-activated before driving with a child sitting in this type of seat.
Once a child is above age 3-4 or when they weigh above 18kg, they should be seated in a forward facing car seat with a three-point harness. This type of seat must not be used in the passenger's seat because it would position the child's head to close to the reach of the air bag. Placing this type of child seat in the front in the passenger's side is illegal and very dangerous.
Older Children
Children who are more than 135cm tall can sit in the front of the car provided they use the correct seat belt restraints. They are able to do so because firstly, they are all enough such that the air bag should not strike them full-on in the face. In addition, they will be of a hight which means that the seat belt restrains will fit them properly, meaning that they will be held in place during a crash. If the seat belts were not have not fitted properly, the child would be allowed to slump forward during a crash, bringing them into a sharp collision with the air bag.
It is very important for parents to follow the law properly when driving with their children, and to purchase all the necessary equipment. If a parent is wondering 'can children ride in the front with airbags?', the answer is yes if they are above 135cm. In addition, all of the information discussed assumes that seat-belts are worn and are fitted properly. Airbags are designed to work in conjunction with seat-belts. Not wearing seat-belts, which are credited as one of the biggest progressions of safety in the last century, can render all the protection which air-bags offer useless.