When Can A Child Sit In The Front Seat Of The Car? - Safe Ride 4 Kids

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Age 13. Bam. Done!

The child in the photo below is too young to sit in the front seat. He would be safer to be in a booster seat in the back seat of the car. It is safest — and best practice — for children to not sit in the front seat until they are 13 years old.

when can a child sit in front seat
When can children sit in the front seat of the car?

The Centers for Disease Control, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and, most likely, even your air bag and car manufacturer recommend keeping children under age 13 in the back seat.

I say “most likely” your car manufacturer because I haven’t personally checked the passenger visors in every car to see if they ALL have a warning label like those shown here.

Not everyone follows this recommendation

We notice a lot of children who are obviously not 13 sitting in the front seat. This is especially noticeable during our elementary school drop off and pick up.

When the child is so short you can just see the top of his head over the dash in the front seat, not only should he still be in the back seat but he should also in a seat belt positioner.

We get it. It’s hard. Even though we told our 11-year-old he’ll need to wait until 13, he still asks to sit up front. And I know some of his friend’s parents allow their children to sit in the front. Most of his friends are allowed to.

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