Is it possible to have a child sitting in the front?

Is it possible to have a child sitting in the front?

"I usually carry my son in the front passenger seat of my car, with a booster seat; some of the mums at school claim that this is forbidden, on the grounds that he's not yet 12. One of them claims to have received this information from the police. What exactly does the law say?

Corinne, Vaud

Under the Federal Road Traffic Act, any occupant of a moving vehicle fitted with a seatbelt must be buckled up, unless he or she has been granted a medical exemption from wearing a seatbelt, is working as a delivery driver and is travelling from house to house in the neighbourhood he or she serves, and provided that his or her speed does not exceed 25 km/h, or if he or she is manoeuvring at walking pace.

However, the seatbelt was designed for people with fully developed bones, which is not the case for children under the age of 12. It can therefore cause serious internal injuries in the event of impact, or even end up under their necks.

The driver must therefore ensure that any child under the age of 12 is properly restrained by means of an appropriate restraint system, i.e., depending on the weight of the small passenger: a shell, a child seat, a booster seat with or without a backrest, or special equipment integrated into the car's seats. To be approved, the restraint system used must bear the ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) test label, version 44.03 or 44.04. This is an orange label attached to the restraint system. Products manufactured before 1995 do not meet the requirements of European safety standards and are therefore not approved. However, such a device is not necessary if the child is taller than 150 cm, if he or she is sitting in a seat specially designed for children aged 4 or over, or in a seat fitted with a lap belt for children aged 7 or over, or in coaches or coaches for children aged 4 or over.

According to case law and information obtained from the police, as long as these legal requirements are fully and scrupulously complied with, children of any age can sit on the front passenger seat. Please note that rear-facing child seats, such as baby shells, can only be used in the front seat if the airbag is deactivated. You can therefore continue to put your son in the front seat of your car, provided you have suitable equipment, if he is less than 150 cm tall.