Seat belts (1 Viewer)

[vicki 123]

Hi we have paid a deposit on a swift kontiki 665 this has side facing seats that was made befor seatbelts were compulsory in rear I have looked up all the information and it is not illegal to carry passengers in the rear as long as comply with all safety rules also my insurance said you will be covered and so would passengers my question is does any one know how this will effect us travelling in Europe as this is something we are longing to do , I have tried to google any advice but I haven’t been able to find much info was wondering if anyone has travelled to France in a similar configuration of that lay out

 

[Puddleduck]

Whether legal or not I would always ask "what if".

Seat belt son side facing seats are a no-no-no by the way.

 

[Jev88]

This sums it up fairly well. Sideways belts are dangerous to use, regardless of legality?

Motorhomes and Seatbelts – The Law | Lifesure Group

When it comes to travelling in a vehicle which does not have seatbelts fitted to all seats, or where the seats are facing sideways, the official Department of Transport advice is: “Our advice is that passengers are safest in a forward or rearward facing seat equipped with a three-point seat belt.…

www.lifesure.co.uk

Advice on seatbelts.

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[vicki 123]

Yes I understand that and obviously we know the risk as it 4 adults travelling together and I know not allowed to add seat belts to a side facing seats but I’m really after the answer to being able to travel abroad in the vehicle as there must be hundreds of motor homes with the similar layouts

 

[Jev88]

Yes I understand that and obviously we know the risk as it 4 adults travelling together and I know not allowed to add seat belts to a side facing seats but I’m really after the answer to being able to travel abroad in the vehicle as there must be hundreds of motor homes with the similar layouts

"The use of seat belts in vehicles is compulsory for adults and children unless the vehicle was not fitted with them when it was manufactured. Unfortunately we cannot find any general guidance on side facing seats and have even tried contacting the French Consulate for advice, but to no avail.

However, EC Directive 2005/39/EC does say that all vehicles manufactured after 20th October 2007 must not have side facing seats for travel as it is unsafe, but as legislation cannot be applied retrospectively you theoretically do not need to have the seat belts and can use the seats for passengers should your motorhome have been manufactured prior to this date. One word of caution would be that it is impossible to know how local police will interpret the law.

We would advise that should you wish to travel to Europe, contact your insurance company to make them aware of the situation prior to going as some insurance policies will not cover for passengers not wearing a seat belt.

From a safety perspective, we would not recommend traveling anywhere un-belted with side facing seats and possibly would consider hiring a van that does meet all of the current laws."

 

[Swifter]

Hello and welcome
Most of the older vans with side facing seats are not used to carry passengers . It’s just isn’t worth the risk .

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[vicki 123]

Yes I have seen it but it is not legal to travel in it I’m really just after the advice for Europe

 

[TCG]

You seem to have made you mind up really.. that you intend to travel seat belt less
As you have only paid a deposit on the Kontiki why not purchase a MH with legal four front facing seats

 

[gus-lopez]

Yes I have seen it but it is not legal to travel in it I’m really just after the advice for Europe

My previous coachbuilt here in spain had only front seat belts. Here they state how many are allowed to legally travel in the vehicle & how many it can accommodate for sleeping .Mine was classed as 4 & 4 &
I could legally carry , & did , 2 people in the rear without belts.So you should not have a problem.

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[Swifter]

"One word of caution would be that it is impossible to know how local police will interpret the law.

Which at best could be a warning but in the worst case could mean the vehicle being stopped from continuing on the journey with the unbelted passengers onboard .

 

[kevenh]

my insurance said you will be covered

Lucky you
Our insurance vendor referred me to the V5C/log book's entry for number of seats including driver. That would be what I was covered for.
Our 4 berth Motorhome only has 2 belted seats so that meant no cover as that '2' was also our V5C entry.

How many seats are on your V5C?

 

[Winger]

Let’s face it having seen a few of these vehicles disintegrate in accidents I think it would be a blessing to get chucked out the windscreen

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[gus-lopez]

Let’s face it having seen a few of these vehicles disintegrate in accidents I think it would be a blessing to get chucked out the windscreen

What before the fridge & cooker hit you?

 

[BillyKontiki]

What before the fridge & cooker hit you?

Yip and the hotpot would be a waste of dinner.