under 3 in taxis
Although there is an exemption in the new laws, which allows children under 3 to travel unrestrained in the back of a taxi, it is clearly a far from ideal situation. The exemption is there for practical reasons, rather than safety reasons, and there may be ways that you can provide a better level of safety for your child.

Firstly, if you have a child car seat that you can use in the taxi then this may be the safest option.

Telephone the taxi company before the journey and find out which car they will be bringing, to see if your own child restraint will fit. Some child car seat manufacturers have an online database so that you can look up which vehicles your restraint will fit safely, and you can telephone some child seat manufacturers for advice. Once you have found a taxi firm with vehicles your child seat will fit, keep using that firm and specify the vehicle you need when booking.

If you do not have a child restraint available for a journey, then it is worth asking the taxi company if they can provide a child restraint, although it’s unlikely they will be able to do so.

If you are concerned about the way the taxi is being driven, tell the driver and ask him or her to slow down, for example, reminding them that there is an unrestrained young child in the rear. If necessary, report the driver to the taxi operator, and avoid using the firm again if the driving does not improve.

children over 3 in taxis

If the correct child restraint is not available in a taxi, then over 3 year olds must legally use the adult seat belt.

If you have a child car seat that you can use in the taxi then this may be the safest option.

An adult seat belt will offer some protection, but it is certainly not an ideal situation. Child restraints are much more effective at preventing injury. Again, if you have your own child restraint, see if it can be fitted into the taxi.

Some black cabs have child seats set into the centre arm rest so you could enquire about these before the journey, and if it would be suitable for your child.

Excellent question.

While it might seem like a good idea for cabs to carry child car seats around with them, I wouldn’t expect to see it happen any time soon. Drivers would be forced to constantly install and un-install them throughout the day, which would cause many delays.

More importantly, the seat may not get installed correctly, especially if the driver was in a hurry. This could do more harm than good. Having the passenger install the seat might be a better option, but there would still be excessive delays, especially while the passenger tried to configure an unfamiliar seat to an unfamiliar vehicle. And it still may end up improperly installed.

Leaving the seat in place all the time is not practical, because it takes up the space needed by other passengers.

Even if one or two cabs carried a car seat, trying to reserve that particular vehicle for a specified time during the day is simply not possible. Cab drivers have no idea where their travels will take them during their shifts. Dispatchers don’t either, so there’s no way a cab company can guarantee a particular cab will be available at any given time.

It appears as if there’s no perfect solution, so we’re stuck with what we have. The back seat offers the best protection.