Up to What Age do Children Need to Use Child Safety Seats?
Making sure that a child is using the correct car seat for their age is extremely important. The difference in hight between a young person and an adult means that a car's safety systems will affect them in a different way. This means that it is the responsibility of the parent in insure that their child is using, if necessary, the correct car seat in its proper application.
The safety features which are in operation in a car, such as its airbags and seatbelts work in a certain way which means that in order for them to properly protect a smaller person, they will have to be compensated in terms of the child's height with a car seat. More importantly, some systems can cause a child serious injury if a car seat is not used. Therefore, every parent or guardian should take their child's height and find out whether a car seat is necessary for them.
Young Children and Babies
Babies under the age of three must be seated in a rear-facing car seat. This seat must not be positioned in the passenger seat in the front of the car. This is because if the car where to crash and the airbag to deploy, it would impact on the car seat, causing a rapid shock which would cause the child serious injury. However, it is permitted for a baby to ride in the
front of the vehicle if the airbag is deactivated while they are seated.
Children between 3 and 12 should use a forward facing car seat when sitting in the front or back of the car. This is a legal requirement for children of this age. It is also important that this type of seat is adjusted, if it is placed in the front, so that it is as far away as possible from the airbag. Once more, the further away the child is from the airbag, the smaller the chance of the airbag causing the young person damage when it inflates. For all children under the age of 14, the driver is responsible for their using the correct safety seats.
Children Above Age 12
Young people who are below the age of twelve or who are taller than 1.35 metres in hight are not obliged to use a car seat. They are, however, required by law to wear a seat belt at all times when available. A child of this height does not require a car seat because they are tall enough for the seatbelts and airbags not to cause them serious injury in a crash.
If a child were too short a seat belt in the event of a crash it could cause serious damage to their internal organs because would exert pressure on their abdomen. Airbags are positioned so that when they inflate, they will hold an adult by the chest, keeping them from impacting on the dashboard or steering wheel. If a person were too short, the air bag would impact on their head, possibly causing injury.
Overall, the risks which are posed by the not using the correct car safety seats for young people are very important to keep them safe from injury. Simply, if the child is under 12 years of age and below 1.35 metres tall, they must use a car seat. If a young person is under 14 years of age, it is the driver's responsibility to ensure that they are using the correct safety methods, as such it is important for them to research to make sure that their passenger is within the law.