What is the fine for driving without a child seat in 2021?

Why use a child seat

In an accident, the child will survive. In a traffic accident, an unbelted child can be seriously injured or even die. Crash tests prove this.

The most serious injuries can occur to a small passenger if he sits in the middle of the rear seat. If the car hits an obstacle, the child will fly out onto the track through the front window of the car or hit the dashboard. The chair will hold him in place and he will remain intact.

The driver will not be punished. By law, a child under seven years of age is transported in a child car seat. If the child does not have such a seat, the driver will be fined 3,000 rubles.

Children will not distract the driver. From about a year old, the child begins to actively interact with the world around him - grab, press, taste. Sitting still is boring, but the switches, buttons and levers inside the car are very interesting for the baby. All this can distract the driver from the road situation and lead to an accident. In a chair, the child is limited in his movements.

Rules for transporting children in a car in 2021

It is prohibited by law to place children in a car without a car seat. Therefore, the acquisition of such a special device is a vital necessity. When choosing a chair, it is necessary to take into account that the baby feels comfortable sitting in it. To do this, it is necessary to take into account the child’s age, weight and height.

Below is a table that can help you choose a suitable car seat for your child.

Regulatory documents stipulate that transportation of a baby in a specialized car seat is carried out until he is 12 years of age. At the same time, if a motorist is transporting 3 or more children, then an adult must be additionally present in the car.

If a traffic police officer stops a vehicle with children under 12 years of age seated, without a child car seat, then the driver may be issued a fine. At the same time, the law provides for the imposition of an administrative penalty on both the driver and the employer.

The following individual can act as a driver:

• One of the parents.
• A close relative.
• An acquaintance or family friend.
• Taxi driver.

The employer can be an individual or legal entity. persons who are car owners of the vehicle or heads of the taxi fleet, if the offense was committed by a taxi driver. At the same time, it should be noted that sometimes the taxi driver or his boss shifts the responsibility for such unlawful actions to the passenger who did not warn, when ordering a taxi, that he would be accompanied by a minor and 12 years old. Therefore, to avoid conflicts, passengers, when ordering a taxi, are required to warn the dispatcher about traveling with a child under 12 years old.

Some car drivers believe that children can only be seated in the back seat, but this is not required by traffic rules and other regulatory documents. Therefore, when purchasing a specialized car seat, the baby can be seated in a seat located both behind and in front. At the same time, we must keep in mind that the front seat is more dangerous than the back seat.

When transporting a child sitting in the rear of a vehicle, the following procedure applies:

1. It is recommended to transport babies under 6 months of age lying down in infant carriers, since a baby of this age is not yet able to sit.
2. If the child is under 7 years old, he needs to be seated in a specialized car seat mounted in the rear of the vehicle, secured with seat belts.
3. At the age of 7 to 12 years, a teenager can be seated in a car seat or without it, fastened to a seat belt. In front, children of this age can only be seated in a car seat.

Below is a table of transportation of minors in vehicles depending on the age of the child.

Transportation of infants up to 1 year

The rules stipulate that when transporting children, it is necessary to use restraint devices that must correspond to their weight, age and height.

Newborn babies can be transported to vehicles in specialized portable infant carriers or in specialized car seats. Such devices are designed for babies up to 1 year old with a maximum weight of up to 13 kg.

The car seat is attached with seat belts and is positioned perpendicular to the movement of the car.

Inside such a cradle, the baby is securely secured with straps. The design of the device is created so that the baby lies in a horizontal position, thanks to which the baby’s body is protected from increased stress and normal breathing is ensured.

When choosing a car seat, you need to focus on a brand of category 0 or 0+. If the carrycot is certified according to the ECE or ISO standard, then it complies with the standards established in Europe. To confirm the model of such a standard, the car seat must be marked - ECE R44/03 or ECE R44/04, which confirms compliance with the foreign standard.

The advantage of a car seat is that the baby lies horizontally in it and it is more comfortable for him to lie down compared to a car seat.

The disadvantages include the following:

• In terms of safety, a car seat is inferior to a car seat.
• A car seat is more bulky than a car seat.

Transportation of children under 7 years old

In 2021, at the initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, changes were proposed to the regulatory document regarding the procedure for transporting children in a car. The amendments affected clause 22.9 of the Traffic Regulations, which stipulate that the movement of a car with a child from 1 year to 7 years is allowed only in a car seat of category 1, 2 or 3. The choice of seat depends on the weight and age of the child. To secure the car seat, it is allowed to use seat belts or an ISOFIX device.

In addition, clause 12.8 of the traffic rules was supplemented with a paragraph that introduced a ban on leaving a child in a car without the presence of an adult under 7 years of age in a parking lot.

Thus, in 2021, children from 1 to 7 years old can be transported only with a specialized device.

Transportation of children from 7 to 12 years old

If a teenager is from 7 to 12 years old, then he can ride in the front seat of a car, with an attached child car seat or other securing device equipped with an ISOFIX device or seat belts.

If the same baby moves in the back of a car or in the cabin of a truck, then he must either sit in a specialized car seat or be attached to the seat with a seat belt.

Transportation of children over 12 years of age

Transportation of a teenager over 12 years of age in a car is carried out in accordance with the traffic rules for adults, which state that minors who are passengers over 12 years of age can sit in both the front and rear of the car and fasten with existing seat belts.

Legislative norms do not provide for transporting children over 12 years of age in special devices.

At what age is it necessary to transport children in special seats?

Even newborns are required by law to be placed in a special car seat.

Until the age of seven - in a chair. As required by law, children under seven years of age are seated by the car owner in a seat that corresponds to their weight and height.

The chair can also be placed on the passenger seat in the front. One condition - turn off the airbag if you place the seat backwards. The button is usually located on the side of the glove compartment - near the door hinge. This is necessary so that the deployed airbag does not throw the seat along with the small passenger. This is written in the car manual.

From seven to eleven years old - in the back seat. A child over seven years old is allowed to ride in the second row without special devices. A standard seat belt will suffice.

A sticker next to the front airbag deactivation button shows what will happen to the seat and baby when the airbag is activated.

How to choose a car seat manufacturer

In 2021, deputies of the State Duma are going to amend the traffic rules and other legislative acts of the Russian Federation, which will regulate the classification of car seats for children according to their age. As reflected in the bill, car seats will be divided into the following categories:

1. Category zero implies the use of infant carriers for children weighing from 1 to 10 kilograms and or up to one year of age. In such bassinets, babies are secured with a wide strap or a three-point belt. In addition to the recumbent position, car seats in this category provide a semi-recumbent position for the baby.
2. The first category is for children weighing from 10 to 18 kilograms, or ages from 1 to 4 years. These seats are designed to secure the child with a five-point harness.
3. The second category of seats is used for children weighing from 16 to 25 kilograms or ages from 4 to 7 years. In this case, the small passenger is secured using the vehicle's seat belts.
4. The third category of car seats is designed for children from 7 to 12 years old or weighing from 25 to 38 kilograms. The difference between cradles of this category is the presence of a removable backrest and a limiter for the upper strap of a stationary car seat belt.

It is worth saying that if these additions come into force, the traffic police officer may impose an administrative penalty on the driver of the car if the child is in a car seat of the wrong category. At the same time, as the “servants of the people” promise, the fine for such an offense will be from 800 to 1200 rubles.

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Especially for newborns and those children whose age does not exceed one year, manufacturers offer infant carriers of group “0”. They are designed for small passengers weighing up to ten kilograms.

For children who have outgrown the zero group, other restraint devices of class “0” are offered. They are designed to weigh no more than 13 kilograms.

If a child weighs up to 18 - 20 kilograms, then it is recommended that he take a category “1” chair.

For older children, group “2” chairs are provided. They are made with the expectation that the passenger’s weight does not exceed 25 kilograms.

For other children, car restraint devices of group “3” are produced, designed for a weight not exceeding 36 kilograms.

Types of child restraints

Manufacturers divide child seats according to the height and weight of the child. There are four groups in total:

• for a child up to one year old,
• up to seven years old,
• from seven to twelve years old,
• after twelve years.

From left to right: cradle up to twelve months, chairs up to seven years and from seven to twelve years

This booster is for children over seven years old. It is designed so that the child sits higher - so the straps will lie on the chest and not on the neck. It costs less than a seat, but the UN is against placing children under 125 cm and weighing less than 22 kg on a booster.

Discounted fine for transporting children without a seat

There is a rule that works with all administrative fines. If the driver agrees with the decision and does not plan to appeal it, he has 20 days to pay with a 50% discount. Instead of 3000, the driver will pay 1500 rubles. The period begins from the date of the decision. The date can be viewed on the paper order if you received a regular letter.

To avoid going to the post office, check the fine and pay at a discount on the Traffic Police Fines website.

Under the payment button there is information about the period during which the discount will be valid

Is it possible to ride in a taxi without a child seat?

No, a taxi is the same car, and it can also get into an accident. In taxi ordering applications you can order a car with a child seat. For example, Citymobil and Yandex.Taxi make it possible to select it according to the child’s weight.

This is what Citymobil's choice looks like

Yandex.Taxi also has a choice of seat type

Taxi fine if child is without a seat. If a traffic police officer stops a taxi and a child is riding in it without a special seat, the director of the taxi company will receive a fine of 100,000 rubles. If people were injured or killed as a result of the taxi ride, the director will receive a more serious punishment. This is a fine of up to 500,000 rubles or up to 6 years in prison with a fine of up to 500,000 rubles.

How can a traffic police inspector check for a child in a car?

It’s very simple - by visual inspection through the car windows; if the car windows are tinted, then the inspector may ask you to lower them.

But the situation familiar to many drivers with the unauthorized opening of the door by an inspector to check the rules for transporting children is illegal. A police officer can do this only in the presence of invited witnesses or using video recording, having previously drawn up an inspection report.

If you do not violate anything, it is better to comply with the inspector’s request to open the door or lower the window. You will simply lose more time if the traffic police officer decides to carry out the inspection procedure in accordance with current legislation.

The State Traffic Inspectorate often carries out preventive measures with names like “child in the car” - the traffic police crew is located in the morning hours near a kindergarten or school and “works out” all approaching cars. And this is correct, no matter how it sounds.

More on the topic: Fine for driving without a front or rear license plate

Alternative to child car seats

It does not exist either from a legal or security point of view. Stores sell pads that hold the belt on the child's chest, preventing it from moving to the neck. But they do not have a safety certificate.

Only seats have a certificate - this is proof that they have passed all the necessary tests and can carry a child in them. Proof of such checks is an orange sticker on the chair:

The inspector will equate the absence of such a sticker with the absence of a chair.

These belt covers are called differently by different sellers: corrector, belt adapter or child restraint with a strap. They cannot be used - crash tests prove this. Photo from market.yandex.ru

Remember

1. It is prohibited to transport children under 11 years of age without a special seat. Even in a taxi, parents must order a car with a seat.
2. The fine for a driver for transporting a child without a child seat is 3,000 rubles. For the director of a taxi company, the fine is stricter - 100,000 rubles.
3. If people, including children, were injured in a taxi, the director will receive a fine of up to 500,000 rubles or even a prison term of up to 6 years with a fine.
4. It is almost impossible to appeal a fine for driving without a child seat, because it is easy to prove from a photo of the violation - either the seat is there or not.
5. The fine can be paid at a discount in the first 20 days from the date of the decision.

All articles by the author: Evgeniy Lesnov

Punishment for not having a child seat in the car

As has already become clear, the punishment will be 3,000 rubles, since this violates Article 12.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.

But you need to know some features:

• if there are several children in the car, then the penalty is imposed not for each child individually, but for a total of 3,000 rubles;
• if a subject is stopped several times in one day, then several times they can draw up a report and issue a punishment.

If such a violation is committed by officials or companies, then the punishment increases significantly. And this will be discussed further.

We also remember that every citizen has the right to receive a discount for certain penalties. The discount amount is 50%. You can get it if you pay the fine within the first 20 days after receiving it. Payment can be made via the Internet or at a bank cash desk.