19 replies to this topic

[conlad]

This was puzzling me as much as everyone it seems when reading about it various forums I've seen today...

But popped to Halfords MOT autocentre down the road from me, its literally next door haha, and asked them...

One fella spent ages looking through the MOT inspection manual and finally found the answer

I thought any car after '82 needed belts and someone else thought '86...

Turns out its any car registered after 1st Jan 1987 is obliged to have them, IF seats are fitted.

One grey area though - if mounting points are there on a pre '87 car - do belts need to be there?

Thought I'd share that!

[1984mini25]

nope pre 87 you don't even with the mounts, but if you do fit some they have to work.

[conlad]

Sorted - I thought so

[surfblue63]

It's the same thing if you have a car registered before 1st Jan 1965, you do not have to have front belts fitted.

[zinzan]

This is interesting. My '93 that I brought over from the UK to Canada last year had no belts in the rear, and the mounting points looked to have never been used. I put a set of belts in upon arrival...gotta keep the 9 year old tied down. :)

[conlad]

Its always seemed a grey area!

I won't be putting any in the back due to no mounting points on my new shell.

What are the laws in Canada regarding rear belts?

[mab01uk]

You can fit rear seat belt mounts fairly easily to an earlier bodyshell.............if you do carry rear seat passengers bear in mind that any unrestrained rear passengers thrown forward in a crash often kill /injure any belted in front seat occupants.

"If rear seat-belts had been used in all the accidents studied, the deaths of almost 80 per cent of belted front seat occupants could have been avoided, the report concludes."
http://www.telegraph...r-in-crash.html

Edited by mab01uk, 25 August 2012 - 09:05 AM.

[conlad]

Trust me, I wont be driving like a ******* when the mini is full

A mate's mate has just died from a crash due to the driver driving like a tit.

http://www.shropshir...pool-horror/?rs

[myredmini]

Its not worth driving like a ******* when its not full. Plus Just because your being careful does not mean someone cant hit you if you doing 30mph or even more. Its well worth fitting them to save your friends and familys lifes in an accident.

Edited by myredmini, 25 August 2012 - 09:52 AM.

[conlad]

Its not worth driving like a ******* when its not full. Plus Just because your being careful does not mean someone cant hit you if you doing 30mph or even more. Its well worth fitting them to save your friends and familys lifes in an accident.

I aint gonna drive like a tit then either lol I understand that, but there are plenty of mini's in my area that dont have rear belts - doesnt mean its ok for me but its not as if I'm on my own.

The mini is one of unsafest cars out there in terms of safety and its preventative measures in the design - no airbags, little crumple zone etc...

I wont be fitting the rear seats for a while anyway, and may fit the rears when I need to

[Beej123]

If you aren't having rear seats, don't forget to tell your insurer, if you have rear seats, have rear belts, if like mine it's a 2 seater then no problems.

[tiger99]

I am not sure that your insurer needs to know if you have removed the rear seat, unless if was to enhance performance, or something like that. Likewise, you could run around without a front passenger seat. None of that is increasing risk in any way. But if in doubt, ask them.

As to rear belts, I would fit them and use them, as a matter of personal choice. I fitted all my old cars with front belts when belts became cheaply available, starting with the Triumph Herald in about 1972, but rear belts came along a bit later. Knowing what I now know, I would retrofit them to any older car that did not have them, or never, ever carry rear seat passengers, or large loads. Belts are useful for restraining loads, as well as people.

It only takes the actions of one moron to cause an accident, regardless of how carefully you or I may drive.

[AVV IT]

This is a bit of a "no brainer" really!!

If you have a pre 87 car that doesn't have rear seatbelts fitted, then that's absolutely fine, so long as you don't ever carry rear passengers. After all there's little point in spending time, money and effort fitting some thing that is not legally required & never actually going to be used either. But if you ever intend to put anyone in the back, then fit them, as unrestrained rear passengers can be lethal, not only for the passenger themselves and those sat in front of them, but also for other road users as well. In an accident an unrestrained rear passenger on either side of the car can be thrown into the driver with potentially disasterous consequences for everyone in involved.

[conlad]

I'm fed up of all the crap on this forum, I never posted asking 'DO I NEED REAR SEATBELTS, ARE BELTS SAFE?'

I'll do as I want with my own car and dont need to be told that seatbelts are safe - I didnt come in on a banana boat yesterday.

I'll MOT it without rear seats then put them in at a later date with or without belts, and when funds allow.

[AVV IT]

I'm fed up of all the crap on this forum, I never posted asking 'DO I NEED REAR SEATBELTS, ARE BELTS SAFE?'

I'll do as I want with my own car and dont need to be told that seatbelts are safe - I didnt come in on a banana boat yesterday.

Mate, you really need to try and understand that this is an on-line forum and as such it is a place for debate. The responses made to any thread you start here are not solely "for your eyes only", others can and will learn from the content here. Others reading this thread, and specifically those that have searched for information surrounding rear seat belts, could well benefit from this information even if you don't, so really you have no rights of ownership to what is displayed here, even if you were the OP.

What's more, you yourself specifically inferred that it was OK to drive around with unrestrained rear passengers so long as you "wont be driving like a ******* when the mini is full". So for me, as a health care professional who has the unenviable task of dealing with the trauma and aftermath of road traffic collisions on a regular basis, I see it as imperative that I pass on the benefit of my knowledge experience to others where it may be relevant/vaild. So it's unfortunate if you see this as "sucking eggs", but I will continue to contribute this kind of content and make no apology for doing so, whilst there is any chance that it results in me or my colleagues having to work on one less trauma victim, or having to tell one less mother that their son/daughter is dead.

Oh & I might add that describing any advice provided here as "crap" is both rude and completely unnecessary, the polite thing to do with any advice given is to thank people for their contribution an then either take it, or leave it!! So a little forum etiquette really wouldn't go amiss here!!

Edited by AVV IT, 26 August 2012 - 03:59 PM.