A car is a source of increased danger and is not safe for children to be in without additional protection. To reduce the risk of injury, small passengers are seated in a special child restraint system. Transporting children in a car in 2021 without a cradle, car seat, or booster is prohibited. Innovations in the law are designed to protect children from unexpected situations on the road.
Ensure your child's safety not only during car trips. Always know where your child is at the moment, where he has been during the day, and what is happening around him with the “Where are my children” application. In addition, the service informs about the child’s method of transportation (on foot, by car, etc.) and reports about speed limit violations.
New requirements for parents transporting children
Transportation of children is carried out in accordance with the latest edition of Government Decree No. 1090 “On Traffic Regulations” dated March 26, 2020. Innovations affecting transportation in a vehicle (vehicle) were introduced on July 12, 2017. They affected paragraph 22 of the traffic regulations and established new requirements for the transportation of minors . The safety of small passengers in the cabin of a passenger car and the cabin of a cargo vehicle is entrusted to:
- standard seat belts;
- ISOFIX child restraint system;
- seats selected for the weight, height, age of the baby.
After the new version of the law came into force, drivers received the right to transport preschoolers and children of primary school age, placing them in a car seat. If they are riding in the back, they can wear a seat belt or sit in a seat with an ISOFIX restraint system. They can also sit next to the driver if there is a seat installed there. The restraint device must be selected primarily not according to age, but according to the weight and height of the small passenger.
Despite the fact that after 7 years of age it is enough to ride in the back with a seat belt fastened, State Traffic Inspectorate employees do not recommend abandoning the car seat. Its absence poses a potential threat to the child. For safety reasons, parents should use child car seats that reduce the risk of injury. If the baby has limited physical capabilities or has outgrown car seats, they use seat belts instead, but such cases are the exception rather than the rule.
The 2021 amendments prohibit leaving a vehicle if there is a child under 7 years old in it. The baby cannot be in the cabin, even if you leave for 5 minutes. He should only be in the car in the presence of an adult.
The innovations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs excluded the possibility of using any auxiliary means that were previously used to adapt the standard seat belt to the growth of the child. For example, FEST restraint devices have become prohibited. Children over 12 are considered equal to adult passengers, so their transportation is no different from the transportation of adults.
Carrying babies while holding them is dangerous! During hard braking and low-speed collisions, it is difficult to hold them. Groups of 8 children or more can be transported on a bus driven by drivers who have received permission to transport passengers. Violation of new requirements entails administrative liability under the laws of the Russian Federation.
Features of banks' minimum age requirements
Each bank has its own conditions that allow you to take out a mortgage loan. Any banking organization may have its own comprehensive offers for mortgage lending, according to which borrowers are given separate conditions based on age. In this case, maximum and minimum limits must be established.
For basic lending, all banks provide almost the same services and consider clients as a borrower only at the age of 21.
Despite the law on the legal capacity of citizens, which allows taking out a loan from the age of 18, banks set their own age limit, trying to protect themselves from the code of possible loan repayment days.
Most banking organizations strive to enter into mortgage agreements with persons who have reached a certain age and have a stable financial situation. Most often, the bank approves loans to clients aged 28-42, since borrowers have a stable financial income and are much more likely to cope with mortgage payments.
Sberbank
Persons under 21 years of age will not be able to obtain a mortgage loan from Sberbank. A special program implemented for young families involves obtaining a mortgage at the age of 21 to 35 years, while the maximum age limit in a popular banking organization is 75 years. The period for which the mortgage will be issued will depend entirely on the age of the intended borrower. The maximum mortgage loan can be issued for a period of 30 years - thus, such a loan can be issued strictly up to 45 years.
VTB
The mortgage lending system at VTB Bank assumes that a potential borrower must not be under 21 years of age. Moreover, this banking organization issues mortgages primarily to persons under 65 years of age. When drawing up a mortgage agreement, the bank strictly checks the documentation and is attentive to such categories of requirements as the age of the borrower.
Alfa Bank
This banking organization in some cases makes concessions and offers favorable credit solutions for persons over 20 years of age. In this case, mortgages can be issued to citizens under 64 years of age. The upper and lower limits of the age limit are regulated by the provision, according to which, first of all, the terms of the loan are considered. At the end of the mortgage, the borrower must be no more than 75 years old.
This banking organization has more lenient requirements and can issue a loan for 20 years, while the future borrower must have an official job with a stable income - only in this case a mortgage loan can be approved.
Other banks
Russian banks have a standard age limit - future borrowers must be at least 20 years old at the time of taking out a loan. At the same time, most of the largest banks issue housing loans to persons at least 21 years old. For example, the Bank of Moscow , as well as its partners, issue mortgages strictly after reaching a given age.
MTS Bank allows for issuing a loan from the age of 18, and the presence of a co-borrower and a high regular income is required. Upon reaching the age of 23, you can take out a housing loan from this organization without additional involvement of borrowers.
The Housing Finance Bank offers profitable mortgage lending programs, and the borrower must also be at least 21 years old.
The banking organization DeltaCredit , which primarily specializes in issuing mortgage loans, offers to take out a loan subject to reaching the age of 20 years. At the same time, the bank necessarily requires the involvement of a guarantor if the borrower is under 25 years old at the time of receiving the loan.
Gazprombank offers to take out a mortgage at the age of 22, while the upper limit for taking out loans is strictly limited. The banking organization issues loans strictly up to 60 years, while in some cases the bank can raise this bar by 5 years. Additional involvement of co-borrowers will not be required to approve the loan for 20 years.
Uralsib is one of the most popular mortgage lending banks, offering to take out a mortgage loan from the age of 18. In this case, the age limit at the time of loan repayment should not be more than 65 years. The bank issues all risks associated with the non-repayment of a mortgage loan at the expense of fairly high interest rates, as well as the attraction of additional co-borrowers, who bear full responsibility in the event of non-payment of the loan.
How to properly transport infants, preschoolers and schoolchildren?
After the 2021 amendments, drivers must use:
How to transport newborns?
Infants up to 1 year of age are allowed to be transported in a baby carrier. It can be purchased separately or as a set with a stroller. These are special devices designed for newborn babies. They are equipped with additional belts and can support children weighing up to 10 kg (up to approximately 6-7 months of age).
Babies are transported in a supine position, fastened with the internal 5-point seat belt of the infant carrier. When they are transported in the back seat, the infant carrier is placed perpendicular to the direction of travel. Consider its placement when carrying several passengers, because in a perpendicular position it takes up almost 2 seats. Infants can also be in the front seat, but in this case they should have their back to the direction of travel.
Car seats are designed to suit the fragile bodies of newborns. Children have poorly developed muscles and bones, so any sudden movements of the car are dangerous to their health and life. After birth, the baby's main position is horizontal. Leoa on the back, it will not damage the skeleton, in particular the cervical region. If you hold it in your hands, sudden braking leads to a high load in the area of the cervical vertebrae. In the first months of life, the neck muscles are weak, and the head weighs almost 1/3 of the body weight, which makes it difficult for babies to hold it. At the moment of braking, the body leans forward, and due to muscle weakness, a sharp nod occurs - a head movement that can lead to irreparable consequences.
The supine position evenly distributes the load on the spine, so that children’s neck muscles are relaxed and not tense, and nothing interferes with the functioning of their respiratory organs. Riding in a horizontal position is safer for children. Lying in the cradle, the child will more easily endure sudden braking, from which no one is safe while driving on the road.
The amended traffic regulations allow the use of restraint devices without specifying what they should be: car cradles or seats. They must be installed strictly following the manufacturer's instructions. By law, devices must comply with ECE 44 or ECE 129 - standards that replaced GOST R 41.44-2005. You cannot replace the infant carrier with the seat unit of a regular stroller. To make your child more comfortable, choose restraints equipped with orthopedic inserts.
The only drawback of the car seat is its short service life. As your child gets older, you will have to change the infant carrier to a car seat. When choosing a new model, focus not on age, but on the physical data of the children. The child seat is selected according to weight and height - these are the main criteria. From birth to the age of 12, children will be transferred from a group I chair to a group II device, and then to a III one. For one-year-old children, removable chairs with an adjustable backrest tilt of 30-45o are suitable.
If you are stopped by a traffic policeman and you are driving with children, he will check for the presence of a child restraint seat. The law does not stipulate what documents he can use to determine the age of children. Drivers can present any documents that confirm the date of birth of the children.
About transportation of children under 7 years old
Image source: freepik.com
Car interiors and truck cabins are equipped with a special seat for a preschooler. It is presented in the form of a removable chair, reminiscent of an ordinary car seat in miniature. In it, the child can be in a sitting position while being fastened. In the revised regulations for transporting children in a vehicle, this is called a child restraint. The general definition confuses parents. If previously “other means for restraining a child” were allowed, now they are not allowed. We are talking about any adapters that were used to replace chairs.
According to new standards, cars are produced with the Isofix system, developed more than 10 years ago. This is a type of fastening made in the form of two steel brackets welded to the body and hidden from view between the seat cushions. Sometimes manufacturers leave them outside, but in any case, the system brackets are at the same distance from each other, regardless of the car brand. If you don't know whether your car has an Isofix system or not, check your owner's manual. If there is no restraint system in the car, the child seat is secured with a 3-point seat belt.
How to transport children 7-12 years old?
Children of primary school age must be transported in the rear seats, but they can also be transported in the front passenger seat. If the child is sitting next to the driver, you will need a car seat and a disabled airbag. When it opens during a collision with another vehicle, the child may be injured.
The traffic police inspector will fine drivers if the car does not have appropriate child car seats. Select them according to the weight and height of the child, otherwise expect a fine. As crash tests confirm, experiments with seats chosen for the wrong size not only reduce the protection of children, but also aggravate the situation. In order not to buy a new chair for the child’s height, parents take a model “for growth”, try to justify the money spent and adjust the chair to the child’s height. If you ride children in a car without a suitable child seat or in a car seat that is not appropriate for their age/size, you are putting their lives at unnecessary risk.
How to transport children over 12 years old?
Starting from middle school age, you can limit yourself to fastening a regular seat belt. Anyone taller than 1.5 m can refuse car seats. Short children are required to ride in restraints after 12 years of age. Traffic rules allow the transportation of a child both from behind and from the front.
At what age can a child attend a nursery group?
In most Russian regions, children begin to go to kindergarten only when they reach 2-3 years of age.
At the same time, some mothers cannot afford not to work during the entire period of maternity leave. There are several ways out of this situation. You can leave your baby with his grandmother or nanny, or you can enroll him in a nursery. Specialized nurseries are a rarity today. Not all preschool institutions even have nursery groups. In order to find out about the possibility of enrolling your child in one of these groups, you need to contact the head of the kindergarten. According to the law, a child can be sent to a nursery from the age of 1.5 years. However, the main recruitment takes place in September. If by this time the baby has not yet reached 1.5 years of age, he may not be accepted into the nursery group.
There are several different forms of children's stay in a preschool institution. A nursery-kindergarten involves the presence of children within its walls and in the surrounding area throughout the working day. The kindergarten management provides them with adequate nutrition, sleep, and walks. There are also short-stay groups. They differ from ordinary nursery groups in that children are in kindergarten for only 2.5-3 hours a day. However, most often they are not fed breakfast or lunch. The kids eat at home.
Sometimes the management of preschool institutions slightly changes the rules for enrolling children in nurseries and short-stay groups. For example, in some kindergartens it is allowed to bring children only from 2 years old.
The nursery is intended for children strictly up to 3 years old. If a place in the nursery group was given to a child not because he had reached the queue for kindergarten, but because there was a free place at the time of mom or dad’s application to the preschool institution, when the child reaches 3 years old, the kindergarten management may terminate the contractual agreement with his parents.
Some experts believe that you should not send your child to a nursery too early. Until the age of 2, the baby still needs his mother very much.
Questions that raise doubts
The rule changes have become a source of controversy for many. Read the answers to dispel your doubts in this regard.
At what age can children sit in the front seat?
The rules for transporting children do not set age limits. Children can be with the driver from birth, but everyone under 12 years of age must sit in a car seat. If there is no need to move children forward, transport them in the back seat. Children are seated in the front if there are no seat belts in the back seat. On the front passenger seat, the infant carrier must be rear facing. Do not drive on the road without turning off the front airbag.
When should you buy a car seat?
Children's car seats are used up to 11 years of age inclusive. The first device must be purchased immediately after the baby is born.
Where should a minor sit if there are no seat belts in the back?
If children sitting in the back of a car do not have anything to fasten themselves with, they can sit in front. If you plan to use this car constantly, install seat belts. Installation of belts in a car, the design of which does not provide for them, is carried out in coordination with the relevant authorities of the city.
What are the safest places in a car?
Place your child in the back behind the driver because that is the safest place to be. To protect your children, place them in the front seat only in extreme cases.
How to transport children in a taxi?
The same requirements apply to a taxi car as to any personal car. When calling a car to an address, tell the taxi service dispatcher that you will be traveling with a child and find out if they have car seats. To avoid relying on the presence of child car seats in taxi cars, take your own on the road and use it.
Track your child's movements in real time (or see the movement history throughout the day), check the safety of routes and listen to what is happening around with the #1 app for caring parents "Where are my kids."
Tips for choosing a restraint system
A child car seat is a seat used for transporting minors. It is used from the birth of the baby until he grows to 150 cm or weighs 36 kg. It protects children during extreme driving and forced stops. The risk of death in an accident is reduced by 75% if the car seat is selected correctly and installed according to the instructions.
As children grow older, they will need car seats from different weight groups. Manufacturers have begun to produce transforming models that can be adjusted to a child’s growing body. Car seats must comply with the standards of the Technical Regulations of the EAEU Customs Union. Their body is made of impact-resistant materials, and the cover is made of hypoallergenic fabric. They differ from each other in:
- age;
- method of fastening;
- manufacturing material.
Separation by age categories makes it easier for parents to choose a new car seat. The table shows groups of car seats by child’s age:
From birth to six months
For newborns and children who weigh little, a cradle that looks like a stroller's basket is suitable. The baby is inside the cradle, fastened with its internal belts, and the cradle itself is secured with a car seat belt.
Before the first year of life
Image source: https://www.detmir.ru/product/index/id/3142302/
Car seats from this group are also called baby carriers. Their body is made in the shape of a bowl, which is complemented by a 5-point belt. A handle is provided for transportation. They are placed rear-facing to relieve stress on poorly developed musculoskeletal tissue and also to protect infants from the head bobbing that can cause death when stopping abruptly.
From 1 year to 4 years
Image source: https://www.detmir.ru/product/index/id/2391161/
A group 1 car seat can be placed either facing the traffic or facing it. It should have a 5-point seat belt and an adjustable backrest tilt that moves it to a reclining position. The device is designed for one-year-old babies who can already sit. It can be used until the child’s weight reaches 15-18 kg, then he should transfer to a group 2 car seat.
From 3 to 7-12 years
Image source: https://www.detmir.ru/product/index/id/3142308/
Car seats of group 2, intended for transporting a child 3-7 years old, are less common than transformers. Products of groups 2 and 3 are combined into general models, which no longer have 5-point belts, but have guides for a standard belt. Children at this age can only be fastened with a standard car belt, passing it along the guides.
Car seats 3 groups
Image source: https://www.detmir.ru/product/index/id/1827731/
Devices designed for passengers taller than 1.3-1.35 m are called boosters. They are made without side protection, and are only a hard seat, equipped with armrests and guides for the standard car belt. Booster seats are not as safe as regular car seats with a backrest.
At what age can you use a booster pillow?
It remains only to clarify at what age this is allowed. According to GOST R 41.44–2005, child restraint structures are grouped according to the weight and age of young passengers.
Table: classification of auxiliary devices
| Child care categories | What age are they intended for? | What body weight are they designed for, kg |
| 0 (infant seats) | from birth to 6 months | to 10 |
| 0+ (autocarry) | from birth to 12 months | up to 13 |
| 1 (car seats) | from one and a half to four years | 9–18 |
| 2 (designs for preschoolers) | from 3 to 7 years | 15–25 |
| 3 (devices for schoolchildren) | from 6 to 12 years | 22–36 |
Until recently, booster manufacturers classified them in categories 2–3. That is, these devices were intended for children 3–12 years old weighing 15–36 kg. In 2021, the UN revised the Rules and made changes to ECE 44 dated February 22, 2017, according to which:
- Booster pillows belong to the third group, therefore, they can be used for children from 6 to 12 years old with a body weight of 22–36 kg (clause 6.1.13 of ECE 44 regulations dated 02/22/2017).
From 2021, manufacturers are not allowed to introduce models of backless restraints (boosters) into their product line for children below age group 3, that is, height below 125 cm and weight less than 22 kg
- In this case, the child’s height must be at least 125 cm.
When installing a booster cushion in a vehicle, you must adhere to the following pictogram, which is not relevant for full-fledged car seats
It is important to remember that children of the same age have different dimensions, and if the upper strap of the standard seat belt does not pass over the chest, but over the neck of a child who can already be transported in the back seat without a child restraint system, then it is necessary to place him in a child seat or on a booster cushion, to avoid fatal injury in an accident.
Video: boosters - when they can be used and how to install them correctly
In the summer of 2021, information appeared about a ban on “other means allowing the use of seat belts.” However, changes in traffic rules did not affect boosters. According to the head of the traffic safety promotion service of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate for the Nizhny Novgorod region, boosters, according to the technical regulations of the Union, belong to child restraint structures and are allowed for use.
So it’s too early to talk about banning boosters, but before choosing this device for your child, you should keep in mind its lower reliability compared to a full-fledged child car seat.
Video: what can replace a child car seat
What awaits drivers for violating the new requirements?
If you violate the requirements for transporting minors, you may be fined:
Car seats are not a whim of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but forced safety measures that parents must follow. As RIA Novosti indicates, in the first quarter of 2021 alone, 123 minor passengers died. Drivers are responsible for transporting the child. Install car seats and be careful on the road to protect yourself and your little passengers.
