Jump to content

Rear seat belts? Should I be fitted up governor


Colin1325

Recommended Posts

Hi all after our first trip in our new ,,used motorhome,,, our daughter”s first words were what about seat belts dad?” Umm I don’t honestly know ? Our new / old m.h. Was first registered in 2002 ,it has a U lounge, and an overhead twin bed ,,But only a passenger and driver’s seat belts ? What’s on, should we , could we, do we, fit rear front facing seat belts? Who knows ,who cares? So many questions
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was faced with this problem ( grandchildren) and as I understand it the age of your van will allow you to carry persons OVER 12yrs of age in the rear without seat belts fitted. All persons under 12yrs need to be in fitted seat belts.

Then the problem occurs that in rear lounge layouts it is nigh impossible to have correct fitted seat belts installed later. Lap belts can cause more harm than good sitting sideways.

Obviously all passengers should travel with correct seat belts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Colin

 

‘Official’ guidance on carrying passengers in campervans can be found here

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carriage-of-passengers-in-campervans/carriage-of-passengers-in-campervans

 

These links provides further information

 

https://www.ukmotorhomes.net/motorhome-faqs/motorhome-seatbelts

 

https://www.campervanlife.com/vehicles/seat-belt-regulations/

 

My understanding is (as chas says) that, as your motorhome is 2002 vintage, there was no requirement when it was built for it to have belted seats in its habitation area, and (except for children where there are specific seat-belt regulations) in the UK you could still LEGALLY carry adult passengers in the U-lounge on the unbelted rear seating.

 

This company used to offer a seat-belt retrofitting service for motorhomes (but I’m not sure if it’s still trading)

 

http://seatbeltservice.co.uk/camper-van-seat-belts/

 

There’s also this company

 

https://www.quickfitsbs.com/about_us.php

 

Your question is fairly commonly asked on motorhome forums, as it’s far from unusual for a motorhome to have more sleeping berths tha belted seats. This 2017 discussion is just one example

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/motorhome-seat-belt-law/46513/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

chas - 2019-06-13 8:52 AM

 

I was faced with this problem ( grandchildren) and as I understand it the age of your van will allow you to carry persons OVER 12yrs of age in the rear without seat belts fitted. All persons under 12yrs need to be in fitted seat belts.

Then the problem occurs that in rear lounge layouts it is nigh impossible to have correct fitted seat belts installed later. Lap belts can cause more harm than good sitting sideways.

Obviously all passengers should travel with correct seat belts.

 

To clarify Chas's point, if your daughter is under 12 then she MUST travel in a belted seat and any other adults travel in the un-belted seats.

 

ie Your daughter (if under 12) must travel in the front passenger seat and your OH in the rear lounge in an un-belted seat.

 

Keith.

 

PS And agree there is unlikely to be any significant structure in the rear lounge to adequately fix seat belts. If you look at MH's with belts in the rear they have very substantial frames bolted back onto the vehicles chassis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to work in A&E and I can tell you that we didn't get many people coming through the front door who were injured in car accidents where they weren't wearing seat belts. No, those people tended to come in straight into one of two places, resus or the mortuary.

 

Also, if you get rear-ended at speed, anyone sitting loose in the back is going to come flying forward towards you at high speed. Do you want a 12 stone person travelling at 50 miles an hour towards the Pearly Gates via the cab you are sitting in? They could well kill you on the way.

 

We know of a couple whose grandparents allowed their two children to sit on the back seat of the car unbelted 'as a treat'. The car was hit side-on at a junction. Tragically, both the children died.

 

IMHO, if you want to carry passengers in your MH - buy a motorhome with the correct belts - simple.

Oh, and please don't be swayed by the old argument of "it's never happened to me." People who have been travelling unbelted in a vehicle in a high energy impact tend to be less likely to be around to tell you that it happened to them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Michael is quite correct regarding the dangers of travelling unbelted. I think people underestimate the force involved in even a minor shunt. I was once travelling in the passenger seat of a VW beetle with no seatbelt when we skidded on snow uphill whilst braking for a car stopped in front. We were travelling at about 5-10 mph before hitting the brake and there was time for the driver to put his arm in front of me and tell me to hold on and I braced myself and put my hands on the dashboard. I was still forced out of my seat into the windscreen and could not believe the force involved in stopping abruptly. I would never allow anyone in a vehicle of mine to travel unbelted as I could not live with myself should they be injured or killed.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 2015 AT came fitted with 4 seat belted positions. As we have three grandkids we had an certified engineer design a mounting for a lap belt. Lap belts are not ideal but are legal and better than no belt. I would not dream of driving around with my grandkids unbelted. In AU it is also against the law in any age vehicle except vintage & veterain models to not wear a seat belt. Cheers,
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You need a specialist to advise on the practicality of mounting rear belts in your van.

 

Look back at the inks in Derek Uzzell's post above and try them to see whether they can advise on their accumulated knowledge of vans, or whether they would need to inspect before they could say.

 

It may be that you cannot do so because the construction of the rear floor (some are only ply, and the area is frequently susceptible to rot) can not take the stresses imposed in an accident.

 

I would also point out that in any rear end shunt the back ends of coachbuilt motorhomes are liable to be severely damaged, as they are not constructed to provide a safety cage for passengers. After all, why would they be - the rear seats are not designated as travel seats, so no-one should be travelling on them.

 

As said above, this is a problem many encounter when buying older vans and wanting to carry passengers in any seats not pre-fitted with seatbelts.

 

However, do be very careful if you attempt DIY fitting as, should the van be involved in an accident subsequently and the belt fail resulting in injury or worse of the passenger so seated, your legal liabilities could be extremely onerous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...