Lap Belts in Habitation (1 Viewer)

DJK

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Jul 29, 2015
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Bury Lancashire
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Bessacarr E645
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I'm a Newbie
I’m looking at fitting two lap belts in my habitation area of my Bessacarr e645.
A company in Stoke on Trent Tow-Tal will do it for £400.

Anyone done it.

Insurance?

Notification?
 

pappajohn

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Aug 26, 2007
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As Jimbo says...forward or sideways facing.

In a severe frontal impact forward could make a mess of your face if a dinette table is fitted
Sideways will make a real mess of your hips, pelvis and possibly spinal damage

Rear facing seats would be the best option for lap belts, if you really must use lap belts, as they will only hold you in the seat and wont really put any pressure on your body....just like an aeroplane seatbelt in turbulance.

There is no substitute for a proper 3 point belt...other than a 5 point harness but thats a little extreme.

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Zigisla

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Oct 24, 2015
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Getting better month by month.
Very interesting article on the website homepage about seat belts in Motorhomes. Not illegal unless your handbook states non travelling seat, but highly inadvisable
 

CWH

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From November 2013
[QUOTE="DJK, post: 1605697, member: 37365"]Bench seats each side[/QUOTE]
From @houdini 's link (my emphasis):


Motorhomes manufactured post 2006
Motorhomes manufactured after January 2006 must have at least two point safety belts for all designated seats (the driver and specified passenger still requires three point system). The seats that are ‘designated’ for travel must be identified. As in a motorcar rear passengers in motorhomes will be required to use designated seats and seat belts. Sideways seats cannot be designated as travel seats.
Sideways facing seats
In April 2012 the legislation that relates to the use of sideways facing seats was adopted. European Whole Vehicle Type Approval Regulations prohibit the use of side facing seats as travel seats, stating that ‘Research has shown that it is not possible to provide side-facing seats with safety belts ensuring the same level of safety to the occupants as front-facing seats. For safety reasons, it is necessary to ban those seats in certain categories of vehicles.’
 

Minxy

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Aug 22, 2007
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Carthago Compactline
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Since 1996, had Elddis/Swift/Rapido/Rimor/Chausson MHs. Autocruise/Globecar PVCs/Compactline i-138
I’m looking at fitting two lap belts in my habitation area of my Bessacarr e645.
A company in Stoke on Trent Tow-Tal will do it for £400.

Anyone done it.

Insurance?

Notification?
The only thing I can say is DO NOT DO IT! If you need to carry rear passengers then the only safe option is to either change your MH for one with designated forward facing travel seats in the rear, or get one of the side sofas replaced with a forward facing dinette seat with suitable strengthening (ie metal framework) and 3-point belts. Have a look at the structure of existing forward facing rear travel seats in MHs and you'll see how well built they have to be to take the forces which would be applied in an accident.

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D

Deleted member 29692

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Bench seats each side

They won't be legal as there won't be proper anchor points available and there is no way you can get them recognised as designated travelling seats.

I looked properly into this with a previous van and, I don't care what Tow Tal are telling you, there is no possible way you can do this and legally use the seats for travelling. Tow Tal either don't know the law or are lying to you to get the business. There is no dodge, grey area or work around. It cannot be done.

Sorry to be blunt but £400 is a lot of money to waste on something you can never use.

There will be a number of designated travelling seats shown in item S1 on your V5. This is how many people you can carry. It doesn't matter one bit how many seat belts you fit, you still can't carry more than that number of people.
 
D

deleted-member02

Deleted User
I can't see why they'd offer to fit belts, it contradicts their own advice !

From their website "It is not a legal requirement to have seat belts/body restraints fitted to side facing seats; in fact it is highly advisable to never let passengers travel in side facing seats as the effects of whiplash and other impact related injuries can be very severe from the side on."
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Peter A Forbes

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Nov 23, 2014
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Mercedes 614D
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VW Sharan/Ford Galaxy/Seat Alhambra middle seats from the second row have lap belts fitted.

That's what we are having in the Mercedes, but the seats are behind the level of the driver's seat so are legal.

There is no front passenger seating as such.

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We are working on a 3-point attachment, but if it doesn't work out then it will default back to lap belts.

Peter

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Eeyore

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Oct 28, 2010
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Whether it is legal or safe or not it is VERY uncomfortable !

I have only done a short journey seated this way when we had an emergency. I've never been travel sick before but came perilously close to being so. It's impossible to get comfortable and you are constantly being moved around, even with a careful driver going slowly, so keep having to brace. This is tiring as well as it takes a lot of effort. A longer journey would be dreadful.
 

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