Planning When Driving With Children
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There is always more planning involved when driving with children. They deal with travel differently — some treat it as an adventure, some as time away from a screen, some worry about being sick. With younger ones there is a safety layer underneath all of it, starting with the seat.
The Current Child Seat Rules
- A child must use a car seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm tall, whichever comes first. After that an adult seatbelt is fine.
- Two approval standards are legal to use: the newer height-based i-Size (R129) and the older weight-based R44/04. R44 seats can no longer be sold new, but if you already own one you may keep using it — there is no legal expiry.
- An i-Size seat must keep the child rear-facing until at least 15 months. Many go well beyond that, and longer rear-facing is safer.
- A rear-facing seat must never be fitted to a front seat with an active passenger airbag. Deactivate the airbag or use another seat — this one is not negotiable.
- Backless booster cushions are now only approved for larger children. If you have an older one intended for a smaller child it remains legal to use, but a high-backed booster gives far better side-impact protection.
- Using an unsuitable or incorrectly fitted seat carries a fine of up to £500.
Rules per gov.uk; check the current guidance before buying, as the detail does change.
Child seats are not the place to economise. Meeting the minimum standard is not the same as maximum protection, and a better seat is usually more comfortable too, which matters over three hours. The other half of the job is fitting: a large share of seats in use are fitted wrongly. Many retailers will check yours free of charge, and it is worth taking them up on it.
Keeping Them Occupied
Screens have solved the problem that used to define long journeys, and downloading films before you leave solves the problem screens introduced. But two practical points get missed.
Keep screens high. Looking down while travelling makes travel sickness considerably more likely. Mounts that hang a tablet from the back of a front head restraint keep heads up and eyes nearer the horizon. If someone is prone to sickness, the front-facing view, fresh air and a break before they need one beat any remedy.
Anything mounted is a projectile. A tablet on a rigid arm is not something you want in the car during a sudden stop. Soft mounts and strapped cases only.
Power For All Of It
One socket is never enough, particularly if the driver is using it for a phone. Multi-way USB adapters are cheap and worth having, though there is a limit to how much you can draw at once — some devices will barely charge while in heavy use. Family-orientated cars tend to have several outlets front and rear, which is one of the quieter arguments for an MPV.
If You Break Down With Children Aboard
Get everyone out through the doors on the side away from traffic, and stand well back, behind a barrier if there is one. On a motorway with no hard shoulder, aim for an emergency area; if you are stopped in a live lane and cannot get out safely, stay belted in with hazards on and call 999.
Keep a couple of things in the car for exactly this: high-visibility vests for everyone including the children, a torch, and something warm. See family breakdown cover for what a policy should include when there are passengers to get home, not just a car to recover.
The Old Methods Still Work
Singing, I Spy, and talking to each other get children through a journey and get the driver to the destination in peace. They also make the driver look at the road rather than the rear-view mirror, which is not a small thing.