Hi,

   Can anybody give me confirmation (Proof) that you Don't need Seat Belts or to use seat belts when travelling on rear facing seats.

PS I know that they are not required for MOTT.

Cheers.

Good question Rita, I have had a look on the internet and cannot find any info saying yeah, or nay

Si

I believe that in a motor home if the seats are in reverse then you don`t need seat belts.The way to find out is go to a motor home specialist dealer and ask,they should know. ie,Brownhills or similar I suppose.

Hi eckerB,

             You are correct,you don't need seat belts on rear facing seats,but is it legal to travel in the vehicle without wearing seat belts on rear facing seats in the eyes of the law.I am looking for hard evidence to this.Its proving a bit of a conundrum.

Cheers

I don't recall where I got the info at the time so will have to see if I can relocate it, but I decided not to turn my seats around as I was told/read that it is illegal in the UK to travel in rear facing seats in a camper.

Lemme see if I can find where that's from ... brb

Ah ha!

Here's the bumpf

• In the UK all vehicles manufactured since 2001 must have seat belts fitted for each passenger.  If you have added seats (via a campervan conversion) you are outside of this law.
  
• Selt belts must be used whenever fitted, with no exception.
  
• It is highly advised to fit seat belts to all forward facing seats.
  
• It is highly advised to never let passengers travel in side facing seats, as the effects of whiplash and other impact related injuries are very severe from the side
  

Do passengers in the back have to wear seat belts?

The short answer is No, you do not need to fit seat belts for passengers in the back. However, if you are carrying passengers in the back you must discuss and declare this to your insurance company.  It is very likely that your insurance company will not let you travel with passengers in the back unless they are in forward facing seats and have a 3-point seat belt. If there are seat belts they must be worn.It is not advised to travel seated sideways in the back.

I checked with my insurance company at the time (E-sure) and they would not allow me to have passengers in the back in rear facing seats, with or without a seatbelt. As they said If a seat is fitted after 2001 you should also fit seatbelts, and in their opinion turning it around is 'fitting' it. I am now with another insurer and have never asked them.

Department of Transport in the UK Guidelines
"Our advice is that passengers are safest in a forward or rearward facing seat equipped with a three-point seat belt.  Seat belt anchorage points should be designed so that they will be capable of withstanding the high forces of an impact and seat belts must comply with the latest British or European standards and be marked accordingly with either the 'e', 'E' or BS 'Kitemark'. We strongly recommend that they are professionally installed by qualified persons (such as a commercial garage or seatbelt specialist).

Although side facing seats, with or without seat belts, are not illegal, we would not advise that they are used.  This is because seat belts are not designed to be used with such seats.  In the event of an accident, seat belts on these side facing seats may help to prevent the wearer being thrown around the vehicle or from being ejected, but in a frontal crash they can increase injury risk by subjecting vulnerable parts of the body to higher loads than seat belts used on forward facing seats.

If you intend to carry children aged 12 years or under, the seat belt wearing regulations require them to use a suitable child restraint. You should bear in mind that child restraints cannot be fitted to side facing seats.  In order to fit the required child restraints, you would need to have forward or rearward facing seats with full three-point seat belts. "

BUT
The Department [of Transport] cannot give an authoritative interpretation of the law; that is a matter for the courts.


BTW if you are going abroad then it's important to know that in France you need to wear seatbelts BY LAW in rear facing seats.

Hope this helps