As of March 1, it will be illegal to let a child under the age of 12 ride in the front passenger seat of a vehicle in Shanghai, according to an amendment to the Shanghai Minors Protection Regulation passed on Friday by the municipal legislative body.

Children below age 12 must sit in the back seat, and those younger than 4 should sit in the back in a child-safety seat, the amendment said, according to local news website Xinmin.cn.

What the penalty will be for breaking the law wasn't mentioned in the report.

"Of all the traffic accidents in China involving the death of a child below 12 years old, 20 percent of the victims are passengers in family cars," Pan Shuming, a doctor with Xinhua Hospital, said in an interview.

The amendment also stipulates that amusement venues, Internet bars and regular bars cannot serve customers younger than 18. Signs plainly stating the law must be placed at the entrance to the venues, and violators will be fined 10,000 to 30,000 yuan ($1,630 to $4,900). If the violations are deemed serious, a suspension of business operations will be ordered.