Proposals to amend the law on the transportation of children in cars were voiced by representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs a year before the adoption of the relevant amendments, back in 2016. However, the Government of the Russian Federation decided that ensuring the safety of minors is an extremely serious issue and the adoption of any adjustments should take place after a careful consideration of all the subtleties and nuances, research and testing, which will prove the feasibility of the reforms. A new law on the transport of children in cars was adopted on July 12, 2017.
Background
In 2016, a year before the adoption of the new law on the transportation of children in cars, a proposal was received from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to amend the existing legislation. The proposal was heeded. It was decided to conduct research aimed at clarifying the feasibility of innovation.
It was necessary to understand how the new rules for transporting children in cars will affect the level of safety of minors. The law was adopted on July 12, 2017 after a decision was made on July 3 to amend the traffic rules accordingly.
More on the new law
The main innovation of the law was the news that for the transportation of schoolchildren, whose age is seven years or more, now it is not necessary to purchase a special car seat. In addition, other adjustments were considered and adopted, which greatly simplified the transportation of young children.
The reference to alternative means of fixation when transporting children in a car was removed from the legislation because they did not provide an adequate level of safety.
Permission to transport children, whose age is seven years or more, in the back seat without using a special car seat. So, an eight-year-old child can be in a car without a seat. And the seat belt will act as a means of fixing the position. School children under the new law are equated with adult passengers, which means that their position must be fixed by a seat belt, the parameters of which will correspond to individual age characteristics.
Transportation of children aged 7 to 11 years old without a special car seat in the front seat is strictly prohibited. This type of transportation of a minor can be carried out exclusively in an armchair that will meet the age requirements of a small citizen.
After the adoption of the new law, the age after which the child is considered an adult passenger was reduced from 12 to 11 years. A citizen who has reached the age of 11 may be without a special chair in both the front and rear seats.
Children of primary school and preschool age (up to seven years) should still be in the car seat when the car is moving.
The new law entered into force on July 10, 2017.
Transportation of preschool children
Preschool children are also affected by changes in legislation. When the car is moving, the position of minors should be fixed using a special car seat, the parameters of which meet the age requirements of the child. If during a check by traffic police officers violations are revealed during the transportation of children, a monetary penalty will be imposed on the vehicle owner.
It is worth noting that before the adoption of the new law, alternative means for transporting preschool children were considered a book, corrector or seat belt adapter, or frameless device. However, under the new legislation, the use of such fixation devices is prohibited. Allowed to use a booster.
Rules for the transport of minors aged 7 to 11 years
The new law on the transportation of children in cars made significant adjustments to the rules for transporting children over 7 years old. So, children belonging to this age category can move in cars and trucks using seat belts that will correspond to the height and weight of the minor.
Installation of child restraint systems in the cab of a truck or car should be carried out strictly in accordance with the operating instructions for these fixing means. It is worth remembering that transportation of children under 12 years of age on a motorcycle is prohibited.
Ability to transport children from 7 to 11 years in front
According to the new legislation, the rules for transporting children in the age category from 7 to 11 years old in the front seat of vehicles remain the same. So, this type of movement is allowed only with a special car seat that meets all age requirements (weight, height, etc.).
Transportation of children of this age category without a car seat is strictly prohibited. In case of violation of this paragraph of the law, a fine is imposed on the driver.
Carriage of children in the back seat without the use of a car seat
From the foregoing, it follows that the procedure for the movement of minors after the adoption of a new law on the transport of children in cars has been greatly simplified. Since parents do not need to spend the family budget on the purchase of special seats designed for schoolchildren.
It is enough to have seat belts in the car. But this applies only to children older than 7 years. Younger people can only be in a special car seat in the car, regardless of whether a minor passenger is traveling in the front or rear seat.
Danger of transporting minors without a car seat
The new law on the transportation of children in a car significantly reduces parental spending (especially if the family has not one, but two or more children). However, on the other hand, the seat belts when moving children in a car do not always provide a sufficient level of safety.
The risk is associated with the age parameters of the minor. The new law for transporting children in a car in 2017 takes into account only the age of the child, without taking into account its individual parameters, such as weight and height.
Often a child 10-11 years old can have a weight and height of 7 years old. In this case, the seat belt does not provide the necessary level of fixation, which means that the degree of safety of the minor when transported in vehicles will be significantly lower. That is why experts recommend that parents take their height and weight into account when transporting a child. If necessary, it is better to purchase a special car seat to ensure a high level of security.
The main risk is associated with the fact that if the child is small in height and weight, in case of an accident the belt strap will move to the level of the abdomen, which is fraught with serious injuries of the abdominal cavity. It is worth considering that most belts are designed to hold people over 12 years old. That is why when transporting children without a car seat using a fixing car belt, there is a certain risk.
Leaving a small child in a car
The 2017 Law on the Transport of Children in a Car prohibits leaving a child under 7 years old alone in a vehicle when parking it.
It is allowed to leave the child in the absence of an adult for a period not exceeding five minutes. If the parent or other representative of the child leaves the minor for a longer time, thereby endangering him, an administrative fine is imposed on the adult.
The adoption of this paragraph is due to the fact that cases of abandonment of minors in a vehicle for a long time became more frequent, resulting in death or injuries to young children of varying severity.
The consequences of breaking the new law. Traffic police fines
In case of violation of the rules contained in the latest law on the carriage of children in a car, an adult who is driving a vehicle is subject to administrative liability in the form of a fine, the amount of which directly depends on which rules of carriage of children were violated. The law provides for a fine of 3,000 to 100,000 rubles.
For example, a taxi driver who carries a child of a primary preschool age without a special car seat risks a fine of 100,000 rubles. The official will pay 25,000 rubles, and the legal one will pay 4 times more, that is, 100,000 rubles.
Leaving a small child alone inside the vehicle while parking for more than five minutes threatens the driver with a fine of 500 rubles. A similar situation will be an example of violation of the rules of stopping and parking. A motorist can get off with a warning. The punishment is imposed by the traffic police inspector, depending on the degree of risk to which the minor citizen was exposed. In Moscow and the Moscow Region, this violation entails a fine of 2,500 rubles.
Car seat or belt?
Before choosing which protection tool to give preference, it is worth examining the advantages and disadvantages of both security tools.
The main advantage of seat belts is their mobility. The car seat takes up a lot of space in the car. The motorist has to constantly think where to remove the device. This drawback is very significant if several underage children move in the car at the same time.
In addition, a good car seat, which is really able to ensure the safety of the child while moving the vehicle, is quite expensive. Saving on the purchase of this remedy is not worth it. Hardly a cheap low-quality car seat can provide better security than an ordinary seat belt.
That is why when choosing a means, it is worth taking into account your financial capabilities and the parameters of the child, as well as carefully study consumer reviews about one form or another of fixing means.
It is worth remembering that seat belts are provided for persons over 12 years old. This means that it is safer to transport a child who has not reached this age in a special car seat, selected in strict accordance with the individual parameters of the child, height and weight.
Conclusion
In 2016, it was proposed to amend the law on the transportation of children in a car. Amendments were introduced only a year later and entered into force in July 2017. Based on the requirements of the new law, children under 7 years old must be in a special chair when the vehicle is moving, which fixes the position of the child. Persons who have crossed the 7-year frontier can move in the car in the back seat without a car seat if there are seat belts that meet the age requirements of a minor.
Experts note that the belt can protect the child from serious injuries during an accident. However, in their opinion, the use of car seats still provides a greater degree of safety for a minor when traveling by car. The choice towards this or that means is made by parents. It all depends on the personal preferences of adults and financial capabilities.
Violation of the law entails administrative liability in the form of a fine, the amount of which can reach 100,000 rubles. In addition, the adopted law prohibits leaving a child under 7 years of age alone in the car without adult supervision while parked, the duration of which exceeds five minutes.