Children sitting in the front seat - a dangerous way to pamper children

It is not uncommon in Vietnam for children to sit in the front seat, or on the lap of a loved one in the front seat while driving. Currently, Vietnamese road traffic laws do not prohibit or specifically regulate children sitting in the front seat or sharing the driver's seat, as long as they are wearing a seat belt. In many places around the world, this is one of the things that can result in drivers being heavily fined.

The front row of seats is equipped with many airbags. In the event of a collision, the airbags inflate within 15–50 milliseconds at a speed of 150–300 km/h, creating an instant cushion to absorb the impact force, then deflate quickly. Combined with seat belts, airbags have the effect of significantly reducing casualties. However, if used incorrectly, for example, letting children sit in the front, sitting in a crib in the front, not wearing a seat belt, the rate of casualties can increase significantly.

Car seat belts are not designed for small children. The size of a child's body can cause the belt to cross across the neck, causing suffocation in the event of a collision. In addition, if the baby's crib is placed in the front seat, in the event of a collision, the airbag will deploy strongly, pressing against the crib, which can cause the crib to fly away, endangering the baby sitting inside.

In the event of a child sitting on the driver's lap, the airbag will be thrown back into the child's face while the child's body is thrown forward, causing more serious injuries. Therefore, many countries have enacted laws to prevent this situation.

In the US, child seat laws are set by individual states, but most restrict the age, height, and weight of the seats and types of seats in cars. New York requires children to sit in their own seats until they are 8 years old, and child seats must be rear-facing in the back seat of the car. California does not allow children under 8 to sit next to the driver, and Delaware allows children under 12 years old to sit next to the driver. Fines vary by state, ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred dollars, increasing with the number of violations.

UK regulations require drivers to use a child safety seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm tall, whichever comes first, using an EU-approved safety seat licensed for use in the UK.

Australia requires children under 6 months to use a rear-facing car seat, children under 12 years old cannot sit in the front seat, and children under 7 years old must use a booster seat.

The booster seat increases the height of the seat, avoiding the seat belt from getting in the way of the neck. For smaller children, the rear-facing seat helps prevent the head and neck from being jerked forward, which is a very vulnerable position in infants.

However, there are still some special cases where a child carrier is allowed in the front seat, for example, a car without a rear seat, but the owner is required to disable the passenger airbag system, through a button inside the car. In the US in 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) required that vehicles sold must have a system to automatically disable the passenger airbag when a child is sitting in this position (through a weight sensor), or allow the driver to disable it via a button. The notification that the passenger airbag is disabled will appear in the most visible position during this time. In the Vietnamese market, very few vehicles are equipped with an airbag deactivation button.

Thus, letting children sit on their laps, in the front seats, with the seat belt across their necks, not wearing a seat belt, or placing a child seat in the front seats are all dangerous actions that endanger the health and lives of all people in the car. Therefore, drivers should equip a child seat/stool according to their age, place the seat in the back, and properly fasten the seat belt to always ensure safety while driving.