Seat belts

Seat belts save lives and reduce the risk of injury. Unless you’re exempt, you must wear a seat belt if one is available.

The following table summarises the legal requirements for the wearing of seat belts. It’s important that seat belts are always correctly adjusted and are comfortable, with both the lap belt and the diagonal belt, where available, protecting the body.

The driver is responsible for ensuring that all children under 14 years old wear seat belts or use an approved child restraint.

You may temporarily release your seat belt while carrying out any manoeuvre involving reversing. However, you MUST refasten it once the manoeuvre has been completed.

If an inertia reel seat belt has temporarily locked because the vehicle is parked on a gradient, you may move the vehicle to release the mechanism. As soon as the mechanism has released, you should stop and put on the belt.

* If the correct child restraint isn’t available in a licensed taxi or private hire vehicle, the child may travel unrestrained.

** If the correct child restraint isn’t available in a licensed taxi or private hire vehicle, or for reasons of unexpected necessity over a short distance, or where two occupied child restraints prevent fitment of a third, then an adult seat belt MUST be worn.

Carrying children

A child restraint appropriate to the child’s weight and size MUST be used when carrying children under 1.35 metres tall. Types of restraint include

• baby seat
• child seat
• booster seat
• booster cushion.

Child seat restraints MUST be correctly fitted in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If in doubt, seek specialist advice.

Adults MUST NOT put one seat belt around both themselves and an infant on their lap. This doesn’t comply with the law and could result in severe internal, and/or fatal, crush injuries to the child in the event of a crash.

When carrying children in a vehicle, you should also ensure that

• they’re kept under control
• child safety door locks are used, where fitted
• they don’t sit behind the rear seats in an estate car or hatchback, unless a special child seat has been fitted.

Airbags

Rear-facing child seats MUST NOT be used in a seat protected by an airbag. In a collision, the airbag would hit the child seat with such force that the child would almost certainly receive serious or fatal injuries.

Smoking in your vehicle

It’s illegal to smoke in a private enclosed vehicle if one or more of the occupants is under 18.

This means that it’s an offence

• for a person of any age to smoke in a private vehicle that’s carrying someone under 18
• for a driver (including a provisional driver) not to stop someone smoking if one of the occupants is under 18.

The rules don’t apply to e-cigarettes.