The summer holidays are the perfect time to enjoy family days out - but if you have a road trip planned, make sure you know the law when it comes to children in cars.
If you have been driving for a long time, you may assume that you know all the rules of the road - but it can be all too easy to break the law without even realising it, including with car seats, music, devices or even driving while tired. To make sure parents are clued up on the latest UK regulations, experts at children's nursery retailer Kiddies Kingdom have put together a guide of the major motoring laws every family with kids should be aware of.
Kirsty Carroll, showroom manager at Kiddies Kingdom, said: "These laws are set in place for the safety of you and your children. Keep clued up on the latest laws and regulations so you don’t find yourself with licence points, a hefty fine, or potential harm to you, your child or others on the road."
Car seat law
In the UK, children must use a car seat whilst travelling until they're 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first. If parents are found not abiding by this law, they can face a fine of up to £500, plus three points on their licence.
Kirsty advised: "You must be using a registered car seat, so no pushchair carrycots allowed. Babies should always travel in a rear facing car seat and they're officially allowed forward face at 15 months of age. However, it is recommended to keep them rear facing as long as possible for maximum safety."
You can choose a car seat based on your child's height or weight, and only EU-approved seats can be used in the UK. For height-based seats these have a label showing a capital 'E' in a circle and 'R129', while weight-based seats have a label showing a capital 'E' in a circle and 'ECE R44'.
Riding in a taxi
However, there are some notable exceptions to car seat laws - for example, if you are in a taxi, no car seat is needed. The same goes for a minibus or coach if there is no room for a car seat, which is particularly useful information for families planning to use these forms of transport on their summer holidays.
In the event of an unexpected journey such as an emergency, you are also not required to abide by the car seat law - although car seats should still always be used wherever possible for safety reasons, the experts advise.
Driving while tired
Being a parent is often a tiring job, but driving while over-fatigued has the potential to land you in some serious trouble. Driving when tired can be considered careless driving, and could see drivers land a fixed £100 penalty and three points on their licence.
In more serious cases, this could lead to nine points on your licence and a £5,000 fine – or being disqualified from driving altogether. While it's hard to prove that a driver is tired, police can investigate length of driving, lifestyle and type of impact in the event of a crash, according to road safety charity Brake.
Tired drivers have slower reaction times and suffer from reduced attention, awareness and ability to control their vehicles. Research suggests that driving while tired can be as dangerous as drink-driving, with between 10 and 20% of all crashes estimated to be caused by driver fatigue, according to Brake.
Using a tablet to play a children's show
To always exercise proper control of your vehicle you must not use a hand-held mobile phone, or similar device, such as a tablet for any purpose. Children often use tablet devices in cars, so this rule also includes if you are found helping them to adjust it when driving.
The law still applies if you are stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic. Drivers found to be breaking it can face six points on their licence and a £200 fine and if taken to court, they can be banned from driving or get a maximum fine of £1,000.
Listening to loud children's music
If you and your kids love a singalong to make a car journey more entertaining, just be sure to avoid significant distractions when driving. Rule 148 of The Highway Code states that you should always avoid distractions when driving, and this includes loud music.
If your music obstructs you from hearing potential hazards, this could put others at risk, and land a 'driving without due care and attention' or 'dangerous driving' charge. The penalties can be severe, with a fine of up to £5,000, nine points on your licence and even a driving ban in the most serious of circumstances.
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