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A proposal to shake up Spain’s strict child car seat rules is now on the table, and it could mean young children being allowed to travel in the front passenger seat in certain situations.

 

At the moment, Article 117 of Spain’s General Traffic Regulations states that children measuring 135cm or under must use an approved child restraint system and should sit in the back seats. There are a few exceptions, but they’re very limited.

 

Now, road safety organisation AESVI, which focuses on child safety in vehicles, believes the rule needs updating. The group has put forward a detailed proposal calling on Spain’s traffic authority, the DGT, to rethink the current law.

 

In its report titled Child Safety in the Front Seat: Proposal for Amendment to the General Traffic Regulations, AESVI sets out why it thinks the change is needed, looking at both the situation in Spain and how other European countries handle similar rules.

 

The organisation is suggesting that children from just a few months old up to three years of age should be allowed to travel in the front passenger seat, as long as they are in a rear-facing car seat, the airbag is switched off and only one adult is in the front of the car, meaning the driver.

 

According to the group, this kind of exception is already allowed across most of Europe, with Romania being the only country that doesn’t permit it.

 

AESVI points to three main reasons behind the proposal. The first relates to the risk of children being accidentally left inside cars. These tragic cases, which can turn fatal due to extreme heat in parked vehicles during the summer months, are something the organisation believes could be reduced if the child is seated in front and more visible to the driver.

 

The second reason is supervision. Having a young child in the front passenger seat makes it easier for the driver to keep an eye on them and react quickly if something goes wrong.

 

The third argument focuses on comfort. As AESVI explains, “The front seat offers more legroom for the child, improving their comfort and facilitating the use of rear-facing car seats.”

 

At the moment, Spain does allow children to travel in the front seat, but only in specific situations that differ from what AESVI is proposing.

 

Under current rules, children can sit in the front passenger seat if they are using an approved child restraint system and one of the following applies:

 

 

There is also a strict safety condition. If a rear-facing seat is used in the front, the airbag must be deactivated.

 

For now, the proposal is simply that, a proposal. The DGT has not announced any change to the law, but the debate is now open and it could lead to a shift in how families travel with young children across Spain in the future.

 

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