Rules for Taxi Drivers, Passengers and Kids When Taking a Taxi
Travelling can be a quite cumbersome task, especially if you're travelling with children, you have to be extra cautious. Moreover, it can get even more confusing if your children belong to different age groups. Whether you're taking a taxi from Manchester airport to Leeds, or travelling anywhere in London, following the safety regulations is a must.
Having said this, today we're going to tell you everything you need to know about the travelling rules and regulations to follow when you're travelling via taxi with your kids.
Travelling Laws for Children within the UK
As per the law, any child travelling in the UK has to sit on the correct child seat unless and until they're over 135cm in height or 12 years old. Be it any car, van or a good's vehicle, if there's a child on board, he has to be on a child's seat.
Furthermore, it is the driver's responsibility to ensure that all the passengers are wearing seat belts, including children who are 14 years old.
Importance of Seat Belts
Wearing a seat belt is essential not only for the driver but for the passenger as well. Regardless of where you're heading to, from Leeds to Manchester airport in a taxi or towards Bradford, fastening seat belts are compulsory.
Wearing a seat belt can keep you safe if you happen to be involved in an accident while commuting. As per the NHTSA stats, only in the US seat belts save more than 15,000 lives annually during accidents.
Safety Protocols for Children Belonging to different Age Groups
Below, we will discuss the rules and regulations you have to follow in detail while travelling with your kids within the UK.
Rules for Children under 3 of age
These are some of the rules you need to follow if you're travelling with your 2-year or younger child.
For Sitting in Front Seat
As per government rules, when sitting in a vehicle, children must use the right seat. Nevertheless, it is illegal to carry children in baby seats facing the rear when the airbag is in front.
For Seating in the Rear Seat
When the child is sitting in the rear seats, they should be appropriately restrained either in child seats or through seatbelts.
Special Case
However, if there are no child seats available in a private car or taxi, the child has to travel unrestrained in the rear seat. Nonetheless, the driver ultimately has to ensure that the child is safely laid-back while driving.
Children aged three and older but Below 12 Years and 135 cm height.
The rules for travelling in taxis, private cars, minibuses etc. for children above three but below 12 years are:
For Front Seats
If the child is sitting in the front seat, he has to be safely locked using a seat belt.
For Rear Seats
Likewise, if the child is sitting in the back seat, the driver must ensure that the child is securely restrained with a tight seat belt if a child seat isn't available.
Exemption
However, in some instances, the children are exempted from sitting in the child seat. Instead, they can wear seat belts. But under some conditions, the children don't even have to wear seat belts if they're sitting in the rear seats and these conditions can be like an urgent need to take a taxi from Leeds to Manchester airport because you're going to miss your flight. Likewise, other conditions can be:
The vehicle is a licensed taxi or PHV. The distance to cover is relatively short, and the journey is urgent. Two children are already sitting in the rear seat, and there's no place to fit the third one. The vehicle by default doesn't have seat belts installed in it. It is only applicable for cars that were initially manufactured without seat belts.Licensed Taxis, Minicabs and PHVs
Likewise, when travelling on a minicab or PHV, i.e., private hire vehicle, a child can only wear the seat belt when he sits in the back seat.
Unavoidable & Sudden Journeys
When going on a sudden and unexpected journey, children above three can sit in the rear unrestrained if no seat belt is present. However, you can never take a child under three years of age in a vehicle where there's no seat belt available. For instance, you've to take a direct airport taxi from Leeds to Manchester because you're late for your transit.
Children Above 12 years or are over 1.35m tall.
Like younger children, the government has also set forth clear travelling rules for children above 12 years of age. These rules are:
For Front Seat
For the child to travel while sitting in the front seat, he has to wear the seatbelt for adults to ensure that he travels safely.
For Back Seat
Similarly, if the child is going to commute while sitting in the back seat, he/she should wear the seat belt. The driver must check and make sure that the child is sitting safely in the back seat with seat belts.
Children over 14 Years and Other Passengers
Like the specific rules and regulations for children, the government has also set rules for everyone else. The powers that you need to follow while travelling via any taxi, minicab or privately owned vehicles are:
Every travelling passenger has to fasten the seat belt while they're travelling. The passenger must make it sure that they're travelling safely and are wearing their seat belts.Legal Penalties Applied
If anyone is not abiding by the said rules and regulations, they will be penalized by the respective authorities. At present, there is a fixed fine of £100 for every driver or passenger, who fails to wear a seat belt. However, this fine can rise to as high as £500, if the guilty is taken to court.
Likewise, if a driver is found guilty of not ensuring that the child passenger is using the right seat or not wearing a seat belt as per the law, he'll be fined £100, but the fine can rise to £500 if taken to court.
But that's not all; the driver can have also safe other severe consequences if they are found guilty of jeopardizing their passengers' safety, especially child passengers. The license and motor insurance claims of that driver will be affected. In worst-case scenarios, it can even be nullified.
These are only the legal penalties the driver and passenger have to face.
Nevertheless, the most significant and worst penalty they could face is, of course, death.