Car Seat Laws in France?

We are going on holiday to France later this year and have arranged a hire car. Whilst making the online booking it asked the ages of my children - 4 and 6 - and then offered me ONE car seat. Does the 6 year old need a car seat? Even if the law there doesn't require children aged 6 to have a car seat I'm not sure I'm comfortable with it. She's fairly small and I don't think a regular seat belt is adequate. Can I insist that they give me a booster for her? Or do I have to try and squish one in my suitcase?
Thanks for your help.

The law requires any child aged 3 to 7 and weighing 15 to 25 kilos to be seated on at least a "class 2 booster seat" (si猫ge rehausseur classe 2). So contact them again and tell them to make sure they provide one. You should e-mail them to get it in writing.

For your younger child, make sure it's a type 1 seat (not just a booster) if he/she is under 18 kilos. The 2 seats should look like the 2nd and 3rd pictures from the top if you click on the link below (depending on their weight of course).

Please, please, please bring your own seats.

I had a bad experience in the States and I'm not alone. When you get a rental seat, you don't know it's "history", whether it's been in an accident, if it's been cleaned correctly (i.e. if the harness straps were soaked or heavy chemicals used on them), etc. It's just such a bad idea to take a chance with your children's safety.

Recently I rented a car from a major company here in France. Out of curiosity, I took a peek at their seats. Yuk! No way would you want your child in one of those dirty old things.

The other issue is that the charge quite a bit for the rental. Sometimes that alone would have bought a new seat.

While the car seat laws here in France are quite lax, the Securit茅 Routi猫re strongly suggests more vigilance. A classmate of my 8 year old son made fun of his booster, only to have the Securit茅 Routi猫re people come to the school and tell him he needed one too! The suggest it up to age 10 but I'm not sure if it's required.

If a child rides without a booster, chances are the seatbelt can cut across the neck. This could be dangerous in an accident. I guess if you had a really long-torsed child, she or he could get away with it. My 6 year old is off the chart in height and weight and the seatbelt goes under her chin.

If you are concerned about the nationality of the seat, officially, they have to conform to French laws but in reality, they never check. I've been stopped several times (and they have the right to do this) and they only have checked that my kids were in seats. They didn't inspect the seats themselves and mine are very obviously from N. America.

Here are the rules, in French;
http://www.securiteroutiere.equipement.g...
Also in French, you would need to print it up to read it correctly (it's a flyer);
http://www.securiteroutiere.equipement.g...

Info in English;
http://www.carseat.org/Boosters/630.pdf
http://driving.drive-alive.co.uk/driving...
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/tou...

Good luck!

I can not vouch for the laws in France, but good for you for trying to keep your kiddos in seats to keep them safe! I can say one thing - do NOT get rented car seats! It is a major no-no in car seat safety. You have no way of knowing how old they are, how they have been treated, or what condition they are in. Unless you are willing to trust your kids life to each and every other person who has rented those seats, do not use them. You will need to bring your own or purchase some upon arriving.

She will require a car seat too. if they don't give you one, you'll have to buy one.

Contact them back and say that the law says that both your children need car seats, or at least one seat and one booster. If it is not too late you might want to browse around and ask other car rental companies and see if they offer two seats, a little bit more expensive is better than risking an accident.
If you decide to buy one in France, a simple booster without a back rest (r茅hausseur auto) for your 6 years old is priced around 50 to 70 Euros, a full seat for a smaller child (si猫ge auto pour enfant) around 150 to 200 Euros.

To give you an idea:
http://www.leguide.com/sb/leguide/recher...