Car Seat Regulations
Irish Law...
states that all children must use a car seat until they are either 150cm in height or the age of 12 - whichever they reach first. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure children under the age of 14 years are restrained correctly in accordance with the law.
- Car Seats are divided into groups and it is your child's weight and height, not age, that is important.
- Children under 150cms in height must not travel in a car or goods vehicle (except by taxi) unless restrained by the appropriate seat.
- Rearward facing seats provide greater protection for your baby's head, neck and spine, so it is best to keep them rearward facing until they reach the maximum weight guideline, or the top of their head is higher than the top of the seat.
- Rearward facing seats must NEVER be fitted in the front passenger seat where there is an active airbag.
Ensuring a child is properly restrained in a car seat can reduce injuries by a factor of 90-95% with rearward facing seats and 60% for forward facing seats
When Installing a Car Seat Remember...
Seatbelts should not be twisted or slack, but pulled as tightly as possible.
Pull the harness straps tight enough that you can only fit two fingers between the strap and your child. Likewise the top of the straps should be a maximum of 2 fingers above their shoulders - not much higher or lower.
If your child's head is peeping over the top of the seat from their ears up, it's time to move up to the next sized seat.
When using a highback booster seat, please ensure the seatbelt follows the guides - it should fit over your child's shoulder (not around their neck) and from hip bone to hip bone (and not across their stomach).
Not all car seats fit in all cars. Please ensure to check your car seats (especially Isofix) will install correctly into your car.
Isofix is the standard system built into all new cars and car seat manufacturers, designed to make installing your child safety seat quick and easy. With Isofix you simply 'plug in' a compatible car safety seat to mounting points in the car, so it has less chance of being installed incorrectly than belted seats.
For more information, please check the Road Safety Authority's website http://www.rsa.ie/ or www.rsa.ie/childsafetyincars
Irish Law...
states that all children must use a car seat until they are either 150cm in height or the age of 12 - whichever they reach first. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure children under the age of 14 years are restrained correctly in accordance with the law.
- Car Seats are divided into groups and it is your child's weight and height, not age, that is important.
- Children under 150cms in height must not travel in a car or goods vehicle (except by taxi) unless restrained by the appropriate seat.
- Rearward facing seats provide greater protection for your baby's head, neck and spine, so it is best to keep them rearward facing until they reach the maximum weight guideline, or the top of their head is higher than the top of the seat.
- Rearward facing seats must NEVER be fitted in the front passenger seat where there is an active airbag.
Ensuring a child is properly restrained in a car seat can reduce injuries by a factor of 90-95% with rearward facing seats and 60% for forward facing seats
When Installing a Car Seat Remember...
Seatbelts should not be twisted or slack, but pulled as tightly as possible.
Pull the harness straps tight enough that you can only fit two fingers between the strap and your child. Likewise the top of the straps should be a maximum of 2 fingers above their shoulders - not much higher or lower.
If your child's head is peeping over the top of the seat from their ears up, it's time to move up to the next sized seat.
When using a highback booster seat, please ensure the seatbelt follows the guides - it should fit over your child's shoulder (not around their neck) and from hip bone to hip bone (and not across their stomach).
Not all car seats fit in all cars. Please ensure to check your car seats (especially Isofix) will install correctly into your car.
Isofix is the standard system built into all new cars and car seat manufacturers, designed to make installing your child safety seat quick and easy. With Isofix you simply 'plug in' a compatible car safety seat to mounting points in the car, so it has less chance of being installed incorrectly than belted seats.
For more information, please check the Road Safety Authority's website http://www.rsa.ie/ or www.rsa.ie/childsafetyincars
