Children in cars
Main rules and safety concerns
Children under 135 cm must use a child car seat when travelling in a car. Taller children are free to use car seats as long as the car seat is intended for children of taht height and weight.
Children under 150 cm must not sit in front of an active airbag. If the airbag is disconnected or deactivated by other means, children may occupy the seat, even if it is the front seat.
Children are much safer in back-facing chairs, as most accidents result in a shock to the front of the car and in these cases the back-facing chairs protect the head and neck of the child very well. It is recommended that children are seated in back-facing chairs for at least up to the age of three years.
When securing the car seat, it is important to read the instructions carefully, especially for the first time. If a car seat is wrongly attached to a car or a child is wrongly fastened in the car seat, the equipment may be useless. Make sure that the seat belts are not twisted and that they fit snugly close to the child. Note that when children change from winter clothes to summer clothes, it may be necessary to tighten the belt.
The safest way to mount chairs is with an isofix, which has the chair mounted directly to the car frame. Most new cars have isofix slots and the use of a chair with isofix attachments is strongly recommended.
Children's car seats have to comply with European standards, either according to ECE Regulation 44.04 or ECE Regulation R129 (i-size). If you purchase a chair from outside Europe, you must ensure that these standards are met if you intend to import and use them in Iceland.
Durability of children's car seats are determined by the manufacturer, but in most cases infant seats last 5 years and those for older children generally last 10 years.
The car seat manual will show the height and weight of the children that the chair is intended for. In some cases, however, children can grow too tall for a chair, despite not having reached the weight limit of the car seat. If a child's head reaches above the back of the car seat, the child has outgrown the car seat, even if it hasn't reached the weight limit of the car seat. In such cases, we recommend car seats intended for children up to 150 cm, regardless of weight.
Used children's car seats can be of high concern as it can be difficult to verify that the car seat has not been damaged. Cracks in the styrofoam under lining or even under the surface can occur on impacts that affect the car seat's ability to protect the child. It may be difficult or impossible to see such cracks. Therefore, it is not recommended to buy a used car seat from a stranger.
The penalty for not using the correct safety device for a child in a car is 30,000 Icelandic Kronas. The same fine is imposed on drivers if a child over 135 cm but under the age of 15 does not wear a seat belt.