Child restraintsBrussels
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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 child under 135 cm travel without a child seat in Belgium?
Only under the Road Code’s specific exceptions. For occasional short-distance transport in a qualifying vehicle with no or insufficient child restraints, a child aged at least three and under 135 cm may use a rear-seat belt; this exception does not apply when a parent of the child is driving. A separate exception concerns a third child when two occupied child restraints prevent installation of another. Use a suitable restraint whenever the normal requirement applies.

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