What Car? Q&A - Can you give me advice on booster seats?

Q: I share the school run with a neighbour. We have to carry three small children (aged one, three and four) but we are only able to fit two child seats in the back of the car. When I use my car, my son sits in the front on a booster cushion and I turn the front passenger airbag off, but my neighbour can't do this in her car.

I know that rear-facing baby seats shouldn't be used in a seat with an active airbag, but what's the advice on booster seats?
Isabel Burgess

A: Booster seats can be used in the front seat of a car, but children are always safer in the back.

However, if you do have to seat child in the front, there are some precautions you can take:

• Ensure that the lap part of the seatbelt is tight and positioned over the child's pelvis, not their stomach, to prevent internal injuries in the event of an accident;

• The diagonal portion of the seatbelt must sit across the shoulder, not the neck;

• Make sure the seatbelt is correctly located through the hooks on the side of the booster seat;

• Ensure your child doesn't move the diagonal part of the seatbelt behind their shoulder and back;

• Remember to adjust the headrest if one is fitted.

You should also remember to move the front seat back as far as you can, just in case the airbag does deploy.