How may children ride in the car?Up to a height of 150 cm and an age of 12 years, children must be secured by a suitable child seat when riding in a car. Larger children must also be secured so that the three-point belt fits and secures them in the same way as it does for adults. The respective booster seat must have belt hooks to prevent the abdominal belt from riding up in the event of an accident. Child seats of all weight groups must always fit the weight and size of the child, be mountable on the intended seat and be approved for the car. All about age-. Weight classes for child seats can be found here.
At what point may a child ride without a child car seat?
If you are wondering at what point you are allowed to do without a child seat, the following rule applies: As soon as your child fulfills one of the two regulations – is either over 12 years old or over 150 cm tall -, are no longer required to have a child seat. Of course, it is up to you as a parent to decide when you want to take your child without a seat. You could decide against it, for example, if your offspring is already over 12 years old, but the seat belt still does not fit optimally because your child is still too small.
The test seal on the child seat
When buying a child seat, parents should always look for the orange test seal, which is usually located on the side of the seat. Because every child seat must be officially approved. The test label provides sufficient information in this regard, such as information on the weight class, the test standard and permissibility. For more detailed information on the inspection sticker, see our article "The Child Safety Seat Inspection Sticker".
The i-Size regulation for child car seats
Running parallel to ECE Regulation 44, under whose provisions a child seat must be built to be approved across Europe, since August 2013 there has been an alternative testing standard called ECE-R 129, also known as i-Size. The i-Size regulation is intended for child seats with ISOFIX base. Should provide more safety when transporting the child. The directive stipulates that children up to the age of 15 months against the direction of travel secured have to be.
Besides, this regulation foresees that the Child seat also not from nine kilograms body weight of a baby in the direction of travel may be placed. The reason for these regulations was that babies were more often than average strapped into the child seat too early in the direction of travel. You can find more detailed information on the ECE-R 129 test standard in the article "What is i Size?" Read more.
Airbag label
If your car has a passenger airbag, it must be marked with a warning sticker. If this is not the case, there is a warning fine of 5 € if the sticker is missing. If you install a rear-facing child seat despite "sharp" airbags, you can expect a warning fine of €25. In the event of a claim, a violation can result in a reduction of the claim amount.
The airbag can be switched off manually in many cars. However, it should first be read in the vehicle manual whether and how to switch off the passenger airbag. There is also noted whether a child seat on the passenger seat is not allowed in principle. In any case, the deactivated airbag should be rechecked before every ride to avoid possible dangers for your child in the child seat.
Fines and points for safety violations
Anyone who has secured a child in the car using only the adult seatbelt must expect a warning fine of 30 euros, and even 35 euros if there are several children. If children completely unsecured are transported, a Fine of 60 euros for one child and a fine of 70 euros for more than one child, as well as a point in Flensburg in both cases. In addition, 30 euros are due if the child seat used was not built according to the current test standard ECE-R 44/04 or ECE-R 44/03 and is not permissible, therefore outdated, and if your child actually needs a child seat, but rides without a seat and only strapped in.