From car iPads to toddlers driving - which driving laws apply to children?
With summer holidays in full swing, many families are hitting the roads for well-deserved days out with their children. As many households look to pack up their cars and venture out, there may be some costly mistakes being made which parents are not aware of.
Driving expert Tim Alcock, Sales and Marketing Director at LeaseCar wanted to warn drivers of potentially dangerous mistakes they are making when driving with children, some of which may be illegal or subject to fines. Please see his advice on these surprising laws below:
You can lose your licence if your child opens car a door whilst you’re driving
“Whilst there isn’t an official law on child locks being mandatory for cars, the driver is primarily responsible for the safety of all passengers in their vehicle and The Highway Code recommends using child locks. The guidelines advise that drivers should use locks to prevent a child from opening a car door when the vehicle is in motion. Incidents where child locks aren’t enforced and kids open doors could be deemed as “driving without due care and attention”, which can lead to 3-9 penalty points on your licence and can even lead to losing your licence in some cases.”
It’s against The Highway Code for Kids to be unruly and cause distraction
“It can be tricky managing boisterous kids whilst driving but it’s important to make sure they’re keeping themselves and others safe from distraction. Rule 102 of The Highway Code advises “children should be kept under control” when travelling in your vehicle. Rule 148 of The Highway Code supports this also and states that actions determined to be distracting the driver should be avoided. Causing distraction can lead to dangerous situations and cause accidents. Being caught driving carelessly can lead to fines or even points on your licence.”
You should never fit a car seat in a side-facing seat
“It is illegal for any car seat, rear facing or otherwise, to fit sideways, according to related rules by The Motor Vehicles Regulations 1993. The risk is that side-facing seats, sometimes found in larger vehicles like some vans, motorhomes or specialist vehicles, pose significant risks for children should a collision occur, increasing the chances of serious injury. The law states that drivers are responsible for ensuring children are correctly and safely restrained. Violating this law can lead to fines of up to £500 and potential penalty points on the driver's licence.”
Young children can drive cars on private roads
“Surprisingly, there is no specific legal minimum age for driving on private land in the UK, provided that land has no public access.This technically means children of any age can drive on private land, according to the law. However, this is quite obviously ill-advised and unsafe to allow children to operate vehicles unsupervised and this could lead to accidents and injuries. Teenagers are also legally allowed to have a provisional tractor licence at age 16.”
You can be fined children using tablets in your car
“Whilst the law doesn’t strictly prohibit children's electronic device usage in cars, where the device causes the driver to be distracted or not have proper control of the vehicle, this can lead to legal action. For instance, if a tablet or other device used by a child in the back seat causes the driver to be distracted (e.g., by turning to adjust the screen or deal with an issue), this can be treated as a form of “driving without due care and attention”. Careless driving typically results in 3 to 9 penalty points on your licence and a fine, which starts at £100 but can jump to £5,000 if the case goes to court.”
Sunshades, stickers or mobile toys may be breaching The Highway Code
“In The Highway Code, under "Vehicle maintenance, safety and security”, guidelines advise a legal requirement that all glass or other transparent material fitted to a motor vehicle MUST be maintained in such a condition that it does not obscure the vision of the driver while the vehicle is being driven on a road. This refers to anything that obstructs your vision, like excessive mobiles, dangling toys, too many stickers on the windscreen or even a misplaced “baby on board” sign. Making this mistake could lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of £100 and 3 points on your licence, or higher penalties if taken to court.”
Children should always enter and leave your car kerbside
“This is a lesser known rule of the road but The Highway Code Rule 102 states that drivers should always ensure that children get into their vehicle through the passenger door that is nearest to the kerb. This is more advisory than enforced, but it is listed in order to protect children entering cars next to oncoming traffic.”
You CAN have a car seat in the front seat of your car, but only if your airbag is deactivated
“Highway Code rule 101 states that a rear-facing baby seat must not be fitted into a seat protected by an active frontal airbag, as in a crash it can cause serious injury or death to the child. You should always check your vehicle's handbook for specific instructions on deactivating the front passenger airbag. This often involves a key switch, a button or a menu setting in the car's infotainment system. Car seats should be placed in the back seat, rear facing, where possible but there are exceptions where a car seat can be placed in the front passenger seat with a deactivated airbag. Failure to comply with child car seat regulations is against the law and can result in a fine of up to £500.”
Your children’s loud music is against the Highway Code
“We know your kids might love to blast the soundtrack of their favourite Disney movies on a road trip but doing so could be a risk on the roads. Rule 148 of The Highway Code states that drivers should avoid distractions, including excessively loud music. If any music is so loud it obstructs the driver from hearing potential hazards or emergency vehicles, it could lead to charges of careless driving with severe penalties.”