Child booster seat legalities in Germany

Hi all,

We are moving to Germany, Lanstuhl area in 3 weeks and have a question. We have an 11 year old who is as tall as her mom, about 5'1" or 2" and a son who is pretty solid, 9 year old. I cant imagine the goofy look of them in booster seats, someone suggested they had to be in them on this forum and find it hard to believe. Anyone got the scoop on this, the law says a restraint system, does that just mean a seatbelt? I spoke to someone who just came back from Germany with 5 kids of all ages and he said he never used a car seat for any of his children all over 7 and saw no one else using them for kids of that age on up.

Do tell ...

If your daughter is 5'1", she won't need it. Your son will.

oy ve!

should be a simple answer I agree ...

Funny thing about these child laws, can get the same answer twice here or other places.

It's not so much a baby seat you need, just a booster to make sure the safety belt doesn't strangle him (or break his neck) when it tightens on impact.

going to be fun teasing my son that he needs to get in a booster seat, got to be hell on the back of the thighs after a few hours, idk, guess we will have to feel it out, seems very odd but thanks for the input, I am still cloudy but feel better about my decision to take it as it comes on this.

Regards.

It's your choice, but it's EUR 30 a pop if the cops ever pull you over and your son doesn't have a seat.

Delvek, he doesn't need a restraint system designed for babies or toddlers, merely a booster seat that will also enable him to see out the window better.

P.S. They are also handy for taking him to the movies, he sits high enough to see over or around the grownup in front of him (in most cases).

leads me to a newbie question to Germany and this idea of paying on the spot, etc.

I am not one to run around with a bunch of cash in my pocket, what is the deal with that and will they really confiscate my car? If I have a USAREUR license as a civilian and they pull me over cant they just give me a ticket?

Thanks sarabyrd, that thing looks rough for a few hours, my boy is no tiny kid, not fat, just solid.

As I have never been ticketed in Germany while on the move (only parking tickets) I don't know if they insist on cash. From foreigners, they might. Or - this happened to us in France - they confiscate your passport or any other ID and send you to the nearest cash point.

In general, you will get used to going around with more cash in your pocket than you're used to in the US. Credit cards aren't accepted many places.

You might want to post your question about what happens with USAREUR plates in case of a moving violation over on the military threads.

One alternative, if you are planning to buy a car in Germany, is look for a model which has its own inbuilt booster seat which folds out from the seat back bringing the child to the right level for the seat belt.

The seat illustrated above is probably more effective in safety terms as the bits sticking out also keep the lower part of the belt low enough. There are also some available with a bit more padding if you are worried about comfort and most kids appreciate being able to see out of the window.

On the one hand: a nine year old in a booster seat seems a bit much. On the other hand, I'm constantly finding myself being choked by the bloody seat-belt. Perhaps they should just make the slidey-thing they sometimes have for the drivers seat slide further down, and have something of that ilk for all of the seats: solve a lot of logistical problems booster-seats have and make it so that I'm safely strapped in (w/o chokeage), and have my feet able to reach the pedals.
It can't be that easy, though. There must be something I'm missing.

Children under 12 and under 1.5m in height must use an appropriate child restraint, e.g. a child seat or booster seat while in the front or rear of a car. Do not use rearward facing seats in front seats equipped with air-bags. Children may travel in the rear seats without restraints if all the others are in use & no restraint is available. Children must not sit in the front seat without the right child seat.
Children under 12 are not allowed to ride in the front seat of a car and must use car seats certified by the German government.

Don't mess with this law. Best to be compliant. No kids under 13 years old in the front seat and all kids up to 12 years old must be in a booster seat.

I like how people are worried about getting a bloody fine instead of their kids' safety.