Child safety in vehicles is a big concern for parents and caregivers in Dubai. For this, Dubai car seat rules are designed to ensure the safety of children during travel, reducing the risk of injury in case of accidents or sudden stops.
These regulations cover various aspects of child car safety, including the types of car seats required for different age groups and weight ranges. This article will cover everything you need to know about these rules.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) emphasizes that infants and children need restraints that accommodate their size and weight and can adapt to different stages of their development. This recommendation aligns with the UAE government’s 2017 amendment to the law, which raised the age limit for children to use car seats to four years.
The UAE Traffic Law, amended on July 1, 2017, mandates the use of child car seats for children up to 4 years of age. This law requires children to be at least 4 years old or weigh between 9 and 18 kilograms before they can face forward in a car seat.
The regulations also specify that car seats sold in the UAE must pass crash tests and have proper labeling and classifications for different age groups and weight categories.
For children aged 5 to 10 years, booster seats and booster cushions must be used to ensure that the seat belt does not run across the child’s neck, as this could lead to strangulation in the event of a collision.
The UAE Traffic Law prohibits children under ten and below 145 centimeters in height from sitting in the front seat of a vehicle.
This restriction protects younger children from the increased risks associated with front-seat travel. The child in the front seat must be under ten years of age and should be taller than 145 cm.
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If you fail to use a child car seat for your kids up to 4 years of age, you will be penalised for AED 400 and it will cause you four black points on your license.
The same penalty applies to drivers who allow children under ten years old to sit in the front seat.
Additionally, all passengers in a car, including those in the rear seats, must wear seat belts. If you fail to comply with these rules, the RTA will fine you AED 400 and it will cause you four black points.
For kids of different age, weight, and heights, there are different types of car seats, such as rear-facing, front-facing, and booster seats. Let’s understand the car seat requirements for the kids up to 12 years.
Rear-facing seats are the safest option for infants and young toddlers.
Age: Till 18 months
Weight: 9 to 13 kg.
Once a child outgrows their rear-facing seat, they can transition to a forward-facing seat. They offer increased head and side-impact protection for enhanced safety.
Age: Till 9 months to 4 years of age
Weight: 9 to 18 kg.
Booster seats are the final stage before a child can safely use an adult seatbelt alone. Depending on their size and weight, booster seats are customised for children between the age group of 3 to 12 years.
It’s important to note that children should use a booster seat until they reach a height of 1.5 meters, as adult seatbelts are not designed to fit smaller bodies safely.
Child car safety is a critical concern in Dubai, where motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death and severe injuries for children aged 5 to 18 years. Recent studies have revealed alarming statistics about child safety in vehicles in Dubai.
This showcases the importance of using car seats and ensuring they are correctly installed and suitable for the child’s age and size.
The UAE’s car seat laws are designed to keep children safe on the roads. These rules cover various aspects of child car safety and have strict penalties for non-compliance. Parents need to understand these rules and follow them to ensure the overall safety of their children.