What Car? Q&A - Legal age for child seats?

Q: What is the legal age for a child to travel in the front seat of a car without using a child seat?
Gavin Turner

A: By law, if you are carrying a child under three years old in a car, they can sit in the front or the rear of a car but only with an appropriate child restraint. An adult seatbelt is not allowed. If over three years old, a child may use an adult seatbelt only if there is no appropriate seat available. This is not advisable, though, as a child is not generally big enough to wear the adult seatbelt correctly. If the seatbelt does not sit properly on the body, it will not perform to its full potential and could injure the child.

Children over 12 years old can use an adult seatbelt, although depending on their height, it may still be safer to use a booster seat.

It is your responsibility to ensure that children wear their seatbelts until they are 16, when the onus falls on them to do so.