Seatbelts (1 Viewer)

[dannyaspect34]

Hi
So I have brought an autotrail chieftain 2010
So am I legally allowed to carry passengers in the back without seatbelts it has the bench seats no forward facing seats

been told yes been told no gov.uk seem to be very wishy washy about it all

 

[David and Sally]

No. Seat belts needed.

 

[Lenny HB]

No, if it's registered after 2006 (I may be a year out) you can only carry passengers on belted seats.

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[Figaro]

Why would you take the risk of having unrestrained passengers ?

 

[dannyaspect34]

 

[dannyaspect34]

Why would you take the risk of having unrestrained passengers ?

Well I don’t plan to crash

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[David and Sally]

Well I don’t plan to crash

Does anyone plan to crash?

 

[dannyaspect34]

Of course they don’t

 

[dannyaspect34]

Does anyone plan to crash?

No of course not it’s more the law not the safer side that’s my enquire

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[Emmit]

No, if it's registered after 2006 (I may be a year out) you can only carry passengers on belted seats.

Hi Lenny.
You are out but no worries in this case.
The law changed in October 2007.
So the OP can't carry folk in the back whatever the geometry of the seats.
Prior to that it was not illegal to carry people in a sideways seat. For an example see a 57 Reg (Sept) long wheelbase land rover with sideways facing seats as driven by HRH.

 

[David and Sally]

Of course they don’t

Ok, so you don’t plan to crash and you seem to accept that it could happen. Why on earth would you have unrestrained people in the back who would injure themselves and maybe others?

you have your legality answers above.

 

[Grummyb]

Whether it's legal or illegal isn't really the question in my opinion.
It's just so dangerous it's not even worth thinking about

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[Lenny HB]

Hi Lenny.
You are out but no worries in this case.
The law changed in October 2007.
So the OP can't carry folk in the back whatever the geometry of the seats.

I going to be pertantic, I said after 2006, 2007 is after 2006.

 

[Emmit]

I going to be pertantic, I said after 2006, 2007 is after 2006.

"but no worries in this case."
I only know as our Hobby was Reg. in Sept. 2007 and we had sideways seats.

 

[the1andonly]

I going to be pertantic, I said after 2006, 2007 is after 2006.

I'm going to be pedantic did you mean "I'm going to be pedantic"

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[David and Sally]

I'm going to be pedantic did you mean "I'm going to be pedantic"

Being pedantic, did you mean to miss off the ? at the end of your question?

 

[Podney]

No.

 

[the1andonly]

a proper pendant would know how he's hanging! or is it a .

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[Captain Yoghurtpot]

And no one has mentioned insurance!
Ask you insurance company on their take on things.
Personally , legal or illegal, I do not perceive it as at all safe to have any unsecured passengers in any vehicle .
But this is only my personal opinion.
The sooner the motorhome industry advertising standards are altered, if they ever will be, to truthfully reflect that a 3 berth van and upwards must have correct seatbelts for all occupying passengers, and of a correct and legal specification, the better.
Unfortunately many vans are advertised as being capable of sleeping many occupants with scant regard to whether all those occupants can legally and be safely , carried all at the same time.

 

[Lenny HB]

Look boys I go by the spelling checker or predictive text, highest mark I ever got in English was 39% maths was a bit better at 92%

 

[Lenny HB]

Also not allowed to fit seat belts to side facing seats.

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[Colino]

This is information I found on another site some time ago as I was in the same predicament. Apparently info was supplied by ROSPA.

To help@rospa.com Today at 12:18
Hi iwonder if you can help me, we are a group of motorhomers who have had long discussions about seat belt law in motorhomes and cannot find answers , so i thought if i wrote our questions to you you meay be able to help as it seems a grey area. so here goes;
1) If a motorhome is pre 2001 and has no rear seatbelts yet is a 4/5 berth can passengers travel in the back without seatbelts legally?
2) If your motorhome pre and after 2001 is a 5 berth and has two front facing seat with seatbelts in the rear and then has rear facing and side facing seats can the extra passengers travel in these seat without seatbelts legally?
Thank your for your patience and we look forward to your reply

Reply Reply to All Forward More
HELP <HELP@ROSPA.com>
Today at 15:43
Thank you for your email.
The seatbelt law states that were seatbelts are fitted they must be worn, so if seatbelts are not fitted legally adults will be able to sit in those seats. The law is different for children
The law requires that all children travelling in the front or rear seat of any car, van or goods vehicle must use the correct child car seat until they are either 135 cm in height or 12 years old (which ever they reach first). After this they must use an adult seat belt.
Children would not be able to use side facing seats
If the seat is side facing Children are prohibited from travelling in the back if the seats are sideways facing, even if they wear a seatbelt or travel in a child seat. Research has found that seatbelts offer very little support in the event of a collision on sideways facing seats. As a result of this the new car seat laws now prohibit children travelling in the rear of motor homes on sideways facing seats
Sideways facing seats are not a safe way to travel but there is nothing in law to say that adults cannot use these seats.
Hope this helps.

Anita Plumb
Information officer
T: +44 (0)121 248 2130
E: aplumb@rospa.com
www.rospa.com

 

[Lenny HB]

This is information I found on another site some time ago as I was in the same predicament. Apparently info was supplied by ROSPA.

To help@rospa.com Today at 12:18
Hi iwonder if you can help me, we are a group of motorhomers who have had long discussions about seat belt law in motorhomes and cannot find answers , so i thought if i wrote our questions to you you meay be able to help as it seems a grey area. so here goes;
1) If a motorhome is pre 2001 and has no rear seatbelts yet is a 4/5 berth can passengers travel in the back without seatbelts legally?
2) If your motorhome pre and after 2001 is a 5 berth and has two front facing seat with seatbelts in the rear and then has rear facing and side facing seats can the extra passengers travel in these seat without seatbelts legally?
Thank your for your patience and we look forward to your reply

Reply Reply to All Forward More
HELP <HELP@ROSPA.com>
Today at 15:43
Thank you for your email.
The seatbelt law states that were seatbelts are fitted they must be worn, so if seatbelts are not fitted legally adults will be able to sit in those seats. The law is different for children
The law requires that all children travelling in the front or rear seat of any car, van or goods vehicle must use the correct child car seat until they are either 135 cm in height or 12 years old (which ever they reach first). After this they must use an adult seat belt.
Children would not be able to use side facing seats
If the seat is side facing Children are prohibited from travelling in the back if the seats are sideways facing, even if they wear a seatbelt or travel in a child seat. Research has found that seatbelts offer very little support in the event of a collision on sideways facing seats. As a result of this the new car seat laws now prohibit children travelling in the rear of motor homes on sideways facing seats
Sideways facing seats are not a safe way to travel but there is nothing in law to say that adults cannot use these seats.
Hope this helps.

Anita Plumb
Information officer
T: +44 (0)121 248 2130
E: aplumb@rospa.com
www.rospa.com

That is about a 2001van the OP van is 2010.

 

[Colino]

That is about a 2001van the OP van is 2010.

Rospa's reply is just about side facing seats not about the year of the van. It might be a bit outdated now as this was a few years ago.

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[tonyidle]

Any of you seat belt safety nuts ever ride a motorbike? Or carry a pillion? I've driven cars with no seatbelts, carried my children in the back of a Reliant Robin (no child seats available & probably not thought of at the time), and ridden a motorbike with my (at the time) 12 year old daughter on the back.

I wouldn't drive without myself and passengers correctly belted where the facility exists and I wouldn't carry kids in side-facing or unbelted forward facing seats in the van but neither would I turn down use of a pre-seatbelt car.

 

[kevenh]

Our Compass is a 4 berth MH but only has 2 belted seats.
The log book says it’s for 2 people.
I tried to find an authoritative answer about taking 2 other passengers. But failed.
I asked my insurer and they said ‘no’.
And should there be an accident how well will the driver do legally with the health risk taken with unrestrained passengers?
You can’t take unthererted/unsecured dogs I’m a vehicle, right?

 

[Swifter]

No, if it's registered after 2006 (I may be a year out) you can only carry passengers on belted seats.

I spoke to a guy last year that had a pre 2006 motorhome 4 berth but only 2 belted seats in the cab and side facing non belted bench seats in the hab area . He proudly explained how he was able to carry his children in the rear of the motorhome and had even “told a copper where to go “ when he was spoken to and advised that it’s extremely dangerous to carry passengers unbelted in a vehicle regardless of what the law states . It’s safe to say I didn’t talk to him again . I was utterly shocked .

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[gus-lopez]

But you can stand up on a bus & walk around on a coach.