Safe Speed Forums

Hi, Just wondering if anyone can help!!

Me and my partner have just purchased a car which is pretty old and therefore has NO REAR seatbelts!

Does anybody know the laws regarding rear seatbelts? as we are unsure whether we can legally carry passengers in the back!!

Thanks.

If the car wasn't fitted with seatbelts as standard, then you have no problem.
The only exception to this is if you intend to carry a child under 3 years of age.

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

Rear belts came in from D reg onwards. Prior to that you only need to ware belts if fitted.

If you car was registered prior to 1966 you don't need front belts either.

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Speed camera policy Kills

How old is the car? They were required to have the anchorage points for seat belts before they were required to have belts (obviousiy)! Look for a threaded hole under the cushion and in the rear pillar at about the sort of position you'd expect to find a belt anchorage - you might get lucky. IF they're there, you just need to get an aftermarket belt from Halfrauds or somewhere similar OR a scrapyard. The only tricky bit is getting the retractor to sit at the same angle as it was installed in the vehicle it came out of.

There is no legal requirement whatsoever to fit rear belts if the car wasn't fitted with them at the factory regardless of whether the anchor points are present or not.
Any car registered from 1986 onwards will already have rear belts fitted as standard (unless someone has decided to remove them for whatever reason).

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

Incidentally, what is the car and what age is it, if you don't mind us asking?

thanks for all your input folks, its much appreciated!!

its an austin montego (probably spelt that wrong ) on a C plate.. .. not really the kinda car you would expect but its in amazing condition and it'll get him to work and back

i definitley want to look into getting them fitted as i know i wouldn't like to drive around with no seatbelt on and we want to take our nephew places which we are unable to do at the mo without the seatbelts as he is only 18 month old!!

Wonderful car! My first motor was a Montego, nice and spacious for running your mates about, and nippy enough not to be dull. I've always had British cars and Japanese bikes; rough with the smooth if you like

I can't honestly recall whether my Monty had rear belts, but these days I would certainly not let someone ride in the back if they weren't fitted; I don't fancy getting a 'charging elephant' in the back of my head in the event of a mishap.

If you do have trouble aligning the retractor its not the end of the world; if its in the ballpark then it shouldn't prevent it locking up in a jolt, and having to feed the belt back in is only a minor inconvenience.

Hmmmm. Not looking to good I'm afraid! Although I can't remember with certainty, I think it might be a bit old to have the anchorages there already and retro-fitting anything that is likely to be in the right place and strong enough to work will be very tricky! When did the Montego go out of production? It might be worth trying to find one of the latest ones in a scrapyard and seeing if it has rear belt anchorages, then at least you'll get some clues as to how they did it (IF they did it)!

If you want to have a go yourself, the lower anchorages need to be at least 350mm apart and the upper needs to be at least 450mm above the wearer's hip. Both lower anchorages should pull more downwards than backwards so that they pull across the bony part of your pelvis and don't ride up into the soft part of your tummy. The upper anchorage also needs to be at least 140mm (sideways) away from the seat centreline. During the type approval seat belt anchorage test they'd put the equivalent of about 3 tonnes of force on the complete belt assembly (i.e. 1.5 tonnes on the lap part and 1.5 tonnes on the diagonal part simultaneously). This gives an idea of the sort of strength the sheet metal around them is likely to need!

If the car is that old you should consider classic car insurance

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

cheers guys!!

and thanks Mole.. .. I dont personally understand any of the technical stuff but im sure he will hahaha!!

and im sure its classic car insurance we have anton.. .. we're with lancaster insurance (i think)

The same question was put on a truckers forum, obviously not for rear seat passengerbelts.

Apparently the law is this:

If there are no seatbelts fitted, then you don't have to wear them

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Semper in excreta, nur quantitat variat.

Incredible car for it's time, and the 2 litre turbo version was just fooking awesome (watch out for the torque steer).....in fact, it was the fastest 2 litre production car in the world until Saab came along 6 months later.

In typical British fashion for the time alas, shit electrics also came as standard.

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?