Laws vary by jurisdiction. As far as I know, there is no federal law pertaining to the subject. This is a simple matter of safety. Airbags can deploy at speeds of up to 200 mph and were designed with an adult passenger in mind.

Infants in rear facing seats should never be in the front passenger seat of a vehicle (unless the vehicle is equipped with an airbag cutoff switch.) ...

Laws vary by jurisdiction. As far as I know, there is no federal law pertaining to the subject. This is a simple matter of safety. Airbags can deploy at speeds of up to 200 mph and were designed with an adult passenger in mind.

Infants in rear facing seats should never be in the front passenger seat of a vehicle (unless the vehicle is equipped with an airbag cutoff switch.) The general accepted minimum age for a front seat passenger is 12 years old but it is also recommended by experts that the safest place in the vehicle for children of any age is in the back seat (properly restrained.)

View the following link for more details:

http://www.ou.edu/oupd/kidseat...The reason you also heard about the 80 lb. rule is that not all 12 year olds are the same size. Some kids may be large enough to ride "shotgun" safely but why risk it if you don't have to?

Children must be in booster seats in the back seat of a car until they weigh eighty pounds. After that, they still must sit in the back seat and use a shoulder harness. Children should never sit in the front seat of a vehicle - if the air bags were to deploy, they could be seriously hurt or killed.