child seats/airbags

(2001 TD5 ES)

anyone know the ins and outs of the law with regard to carrying a sprog in one of the above ?

i've got a (decent sized) 5 year old, less than 135cm, and I'd like to drive with him in the front - my previous motor (mondeo - no passenger airbag) was fine with him in a child seat, strapped in with the three point seat belt - anyone know if the front a/b in the new motor makes this inadequate/illegal - do i have to stow the little bugger in the back now or what ?

ta

as long as its a forward facing cild seat you are ok, are you talking about a child seat, or a booster seat, how tall is he

Air bag should be disabled as the deployment can cause severe injuries. discovery 3 has basic occupant detection in the passenger seat while America enjoys a silicone bag that weighs the occupant and decides if and how hard the air bag should deploy. The cost incurred to land rover is considerable and they can avoid the silicone bag on all markets except usa, so there is a defineate reason for determining if air bag deployment is beneficial. Hope this helps

he's just over 4' (124cm), and it's a proper seat, not just a booster thing - must admit, regardless of size, i thought if you had a passenger airbag it was not recommended to have kids in the front ?

What are the new rules?


Children under three: until his third birthday, your baby or toddler must use a child car seat appropriate for his weight in any vehicle (including vans and other goods vehicles) regardless of whether he is sitting in the front or the back. If you can't fit a child seat for your baby or toddler then he can't travel legally. In addition, the new rules also say that rear-facing baby seats MUST NOT be used in a seat protected by a frontal air-bag unless the air-bag has been deactivated. If you are using a forward facing child seat, see what your car's handbook says about children in seats with frontal air-bags. The advice can vary from car to car.

Children three and over: until he is 135cm tall (approximately 4ft 5in), your child must use an appropriate car seat. Using an adult seat belt for a child who is under 135cm tall is no longer legal.


Are there any exceptions?



Children under three: there is only one exception to the new law for children under three. If you are travelling in the rear of a taxi and you don't have a car seat with you your baby or toddler can travel without a seatbelt.

Children three and over: there are only three occasions where children over the age of three and under 135cm tall can travel in the back of a car using an adult seat belt. These are:
• In a taxi, if an appropriate child seat is not available.

• For a short distance "in an unexpected necessity". This exception is designed to cover situations where you might have to collect your child, or someone else's, at short notice and don't have the right car seat with you.

• Where you need to carry three children but can only fit two car seats in the back of the car. In this case the third, and preferably tallest, child could use an adult seat belt.
A very few cars, for example classic cars, don't have any seat belts fitted at all. If you are travelling in a car like this, children aged three and over are allowed to travel in the back unrestrained. However, just because it is legal doesn't make it safe.

Hope that helps, bit non commital about air bags & I bet the manufacturer, whicever one, will fudge the issue too

thanks marcus - i was googling for a clarification on the laws like that and kept just turning up all sorts of marketing drivel, as you say, hardly definitive though !

anyway, relevant sprog has had his first go in both front and back seats, and expressed no real preference for either, being equally awestruck wherever he was with the new found ability to see over hedges - he'll be safe and sound in the back from now on....