Parents, you’ll soon have to make sure your kids buckle up in your cars. Hong Kong’s traffic landscape is about to change after the latest amendment in regulation regarding children’s safety in private cars comes into effect at the end of this year. Aligning with international vehicle safety standards, the government has announced new rules for passengers aged under eight years old or shorter than 135 centimetres. However, there’s no word on whether public vehicles will be affected by the new rules.
What do the New Rules Say?
The Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) (Amendment) Regulation 2024 stipulates that from November 1, 2025, children under eight years old or with a height of less than 1.35 metres will have to be secured in private cars by an adequate child restraining device to prevent deaths and injuries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.25 million people die every year in road traffic crashes. In Hong Kong, there were more than 17,000 traffic accidents in 2023 — 96 people died while more than 1,000 passengers were seriously injured.
According to the current law, only children under three years old seated in the front seat of a private car or light bus must be secured in an “approved child restraint device”, while those aged 3-12 must must wear seat belts. However, car seats are not mandatory for kids in this age group. The new regulations don’t mention if the restraining devices will also be required in the city’s public buses —including minibuses — taxis and Uber cars.
What’s a Restraining Device?
The new regulation applies to both front and back seats of private cars. The restraining devices must conform to approved safety standards — such as those stipulated in the UK, US, Australia, and Japan, among other countries — and are different from regular car seatbelts. But what exactly is a restraining device? For parents worried about what to get for their children, here are some examples:
- A rear-facing or forward-facing car seat, appropriate for the child’s age, height and weight and conforming to safety regulations.
- For older kids who have outgrown their car seats, booster seats, designed to elevate children that can be used in combination with a seatbelt, are another option.
- The RideSafer Travel Vest, a vest made for children that holds the shoulder belt in place and away from the neck, ensuring comfort and safety is another example.
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