Yes, in Victoria, a 7-year-old can legally sit in the front seat, but it's not recommended for safety; experts advise children aged 12 and under should sit in the back, as front airbags are designed for adults and pose higher injury risks for children, even with a booster seat. The law allows children 7 and over in the front, but safety guidelines suggest using the back seat until they are taller, around 145cm (about 10-12 years old), for a proper adult seatbelt fit.
The Victorian road rules allow children aged 7 years and over to travel in the front seat.
Yes, a 7-year-old can legally sit in the front seat in many places, but it's often not the safest choice; safety experts recommend children stay in the back until age 12, as airbags are designed for adults and the back seat is statistically safer for smaller bodies, though they must still be in an appropriate booster seat if they don't fit a standard seatbelt correctly.
Legally, in many places like Australia, a 7-year-old can sit in the front seat if the back seats are full of younger children, but safety experts strongly recommend children under 12 (or until they pass the "5-Step Test") stay in the back because of airbag risks and proper seatbelt fit. The safest place for any child under 12 is the back seat, using an appropriate car seat or booster until they are tall enough (around 145cm) for an adult seatbelt to fit correctly across their lap and shoulder.
Yes, a 7-year-old can legally sit in the front seat in many places, but it's often not the safest choice; safety experts recommend children stay in the back until age 12, as airbags are designed for adults and the back seat is statistically safer for smaller bodies, though they must still be in an appropriate booster seat if they don't fit a standard seatbelt correctly.
Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12. Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing.
Children aged 7 years to under 16 years must travel in either a forward facing child restraint, a booster seat or an adult seatbelt. An adult lap-sash seatbelt is designed for people with a minimum height of 145 cm. The average child will reach this height between 10 and 12 years of age.
Yes, a 7-year-old often still needs a booster seat, as most children aren't tall enough (around 145cm/4'9") and can't pass the "5 Step Test" (back flat, knees bend, lap belt low, shoulder belt across mid-shoulder, can sit like that) until they are 10-12 years old, even if laws might allow for an adult seatbelt earlier, safety guidelines recommend waiting for proper fit for optimal protection.
Consumer Reports and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that kids use booster seats until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and 8 to 12 years old.
Child restraint laws
Children aged from 6 months to 4 years old must be secured in either a rear or forward facing approved child car seat with an inbuilt harness. Children under 4 years old can't travel in the front seat of a vehicle with 2 or more rows.
It is safer for your child to travel in the rear seats than the front. Never put a rearward-facing baby seat in the front if there is an active passenger airbag. It is illegal and dangerous to do so, because if the airbag goes off, it will hit the baby seat and fling it forward with considerable force.
Airbags can cause injury and/or death to children less than or equal to 12 years of age and thus seating position with exposure to airbags should be avoided in that age range. Child restraint laws help reduce injury and mortality and increase compliance with restraint use.
Aged 7 years to 16 years are either in a suitable child seat or a seatbelt. Aged under 7 years must not be in the front row of seats if the vehicle has two or more rows of seats. Aged between 4 years and 7 years can travel in the front seat if all other rear seats are filled with passengers aged under 7.
No, backless booster seats (also known as booster cushions or low-back boosters) are illegal in Australia because they do not meet the mandatory Australian Safety Standards (AS/NZS 1754) for side impact protection, failing to protect a child's head and neck in a crash. All child restraints used in Australia must comply with these standards and feature the appropriate certification sticker; backless boosters were removed from the standard years ago.
Children must use a child car seat or suitable booster seat until they're 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first. A backless booster seat should only be used by children who are taller than 125cm and weighing more than 22kg. High-back booster seats can be used by children who weigh between 15-36kg.
Caregivers should avoid putting car seats in the front passenger seat because of the presence of airbags. If the car only has two seats, caregivers should disable front passenger airbags before placing a child passenger seat in the front.
Children aged under 7 years must use an approved suitable child restraint when travelling in a vehicle. A child restraint is a forward‑facing or rear-facing child car seat (also referred to as a baby car seat or baby capsule), or a booster seat.
The National Safety Council states kids should ride in a child restraint in a rear seat until they're at least 9 years old and at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and 80 lbs. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) goes even further to recommend that all children under 13 years of age should ride in the back of the vehicle.
The National Child Restraint Guidelines recommend children 12 years of age and under are safest in the rear seat, regardless of the type of restraint they are using.
No, it's generally not safe for a 10-year-old to ride in the front seat; major safety organizations recommend children stay in the back until they are at least 12, and ideally 13, because of risks from airbags and seatbelt fit, making the rear seat significantly safer for their smaller bodies and developing bones.
Cars with more than 1 row of seats
Babies and children up to 4 years old must not sit in the front seat. Children aged 4 to 6 years can only sit in the front seat if all other seats are occupied by children under 7 years old. Children 7 years and over can sit in the front seat.
Yes, a 7-year-old can legally sit in the front seat in many places, but it's often not the safest choice; safety experts recommend children stay in the back until age 12, as airbags are designed for adults and the back seat is statistically safer for smaller bodies, though they must still be in an appropriate booster seat if they don't fit a standard seatbelt correctly.
Child Safety in Motor Vehicle Act ⚠️ Under the new law, no child 12 years and below of age shall be allowed to sit in a front seat of a motor vehicle “unless the child meets the height requirement”.
Risks Children Face When Riding in a Car's Front Seat
Airbag Deployment—Airbags save lives by cushioning adults during a crash. However, the force of an airbag can be too powerful for children, causing injuries rather than preventing them.