Is it legal to carry a baby in the front if I can't de-activate the air bag?

Please can you clarify if it is legal to carry a child in the front of a four seater car in a forward facing child seat if you are unable (due to car's age) to de-activate the air bag?

I am unable to place the seat in the rear of my BMW 3 Series as it’s a small car and the regulation child seats are too big.

Asked on 15 January 2014 by Peter Grinham - Farley

Answered by Honest John

If a front airbag can save an adult's life, why switch it off when carrying a child?

It obviously makes sense to push the seat back as far as it can go to minimise any minor injury from the airbag, but they only need to be switched off when carrying a baby in a rear facing baby cradle in the front seat of the car.

Tags: legal and consumer advice child seats technical issues

Similar questions

I was mis-sold a Vauxhall Zafira Tourer - what do I do now?

I bought a Vauxhall Zafira Tourer a couple of weeks ago from an approved used Vauxhall dealer. I made it clear when I bought it that I needed to fit three child seats across the back row, to be able to...

Is the law on child seats changing?

Is the law changing for child seats and, if so, what is it changing to?

Passenger windbags

We have just bought a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, which we're very pleased with. We allowed my granddaughter to sit in the front passenger seat. She is now tall enough not to need a booster set. A friend...