Who is responsible for paying fines for failing to use CRS in taxis?

The transport of children in public or private vehicles should always guarantee the maximum protection in the event of a collision. However, for inner-city taxi journeys or those in built-up suburbs of major cities, the law overrules the requirement to use child seats for children under the height of 135 cm provided they travel in the back seat. For taxi trips by road, the regulations do establish the requirement to use the relevant child seat. If this is not complied with, there is no way that the cab driver can be held responsible, as this falls upon the adults in charge of the child: parents, guardian, carer or anyone else who is legally responsible for the child at that time.

Bearing in mind that the use of child restraint systems reduces mortality in the event of a traffic accident by between 54 and 80 percent, depending on the age and the type of collision, and that in major urban areas and on fast highways you might come across sections where the permitted speed exceeds safety thresholds in the event of an accident, Fundación MAPFRE insists that child seats should also always be used in taxis.

Although there are no official sanctions if children travel in taxis without a child seat or booster seat in the back seat in urban areas, an accident in an urban setting is still dangerous and can have tragic consequences, so it is our responsibility to always ensure that we use these systems.

To ensure the safety of the smallest passengers, whenever you foresee that you’re going to use a taxi, it is advisable to take your own child restraint system with you, even if it means lugging it around. If your taxi journey is unexpected, however, it is a good idea to call to book a vehicle that has an approved child restraint system on board.