Child restraintsBelgium
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171. Child restraints
Child restraints are safety systems designed to protect children travelling in vehicles. They include rear-facing and forward-facing child seats and booster seats that position and restrain a child according to their size and the restraint system's specifications.
A child restraint should be suitable for the child and vehicle, installed according to the manufacturer's instructions and secured correctly on every journey. Rear-facing restraints must never be placed in front of an active frontal airbag.
Wikimedia.org • Pieter Kuiper • CC BY-SA
When must a child use a child restraint in Belgium?
Children under 18 who are shorter than 135 cm must generally be transported in a child-restraint system that is suitable for them. Children who are at least 135 cm tall may use the vehicle's seat belt instead.
Can a rear-facing child seat be used on the front passenger seat in Belgium?
Yes, but only if there is no frontal airbag at that seating position or if the frontal airbag has been switched off or is automatically deactivated adequately. A rear-facing child restraint may not be placed in front of an active frontal airbag.
Can a child under 135 cm travel without a child seat in Belgium?
Only in specific exceptions provided by the Road Code. For example, under certain conditions a child aged three or older may use a seat belt on a rear seat when no suitable child restraint is available for occasional short-distance transport. These exceptions do not remove the general requirement to use a suitable child-restraint system.

Traffic rules
Belgium