Experts recommend keeping children in the back seat until they're big enough for seat belts to fit properly, as age, size, and safety features all play a role in determining when it's safe to move to the front.
When Is It Safe for a Child to Ride in the Front Seat?
Published on Jul. 17, 2025
Riding in the front passenger seat may feel like a rite of passage, but it carries additional danger. Airbags deploy with significant force designed for adult bodies. For children who haven’t reached a certain size, that force can cause serious harm.
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When Is It OK to Ride in the Passenger Seat? Understanding Age, Size, and Seatbelt Fit
It isn’t enough to rely on age alone. The fit of the restraint matters too. According to both the CDC and NHTSA, children progress through four safety steps: rear-facing seats, forward-facing seats, booster seats, and finally adult seat belts.
“Air bags can kill young children riding in the front seat” according to the CDC. “Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an air bag.” That warning emphasizes why they advise children to remain in the backseat until at least age 13.
The NHTSA guide says to “keep your child in the booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly,” explaining that a proper fit requires the lap belt to rest across the upper thighs, not the stomach, and the shoulder belt to snugly sit across the shoulder and chest. This typically occurs between ages 8 and 12.
Booster seats act as a bridge to full seatbelt use. They elevate children so that the seat belt aligns correctly over the stronger parts of their bodies. The CDC notes booster seats can reduce serious injury risk by about 45% for children 4 to 8 years old compared to seat belt use alone. State laws increasingly reflect this by extending booster-seat requirements to age 9 and above.
NHTSA Recommendations
NHTSA advises keeping children in the backseat at least through age 12 and “to maximize safety, keep your child in the car seat for as long as possible, as long as the child fits within the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements”.
They suggest:
- Birth–12 months: Rear-facing seat
- 1–3 years: Continue rear-facing as long as possible
- 4–7 years: Forward-facing seat with harness and tether
- 8–12 years: Booster seat until seat belt fits properly
Even after reaching those guidelines, children still benefit from riding in the back seat. NHTSA emphasizes it’s the safest location.
State Laws and Vehicle Features
Requirements vary by state, so checking local laws is helpful. Some vehicles offer passenger sensors that disable airbags for lighter occupants. Though helpful, those systems don’t replace established safety practices.
Both the CDC and the NHTSA recommend that children stay in the rear until age 12 or 13. That positioning reduces risk from airbag deployment and crash impact. The middle seat is often safest, as it offers the most distance from potential collision points.
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