This
inspection applies to all statutory seat belts. For additional information
see pages 2-10 of this section.
General Information
1. Seats requiring belts Seatbelt requirements depend on vehicle age, type and
number of seats. To determine the requirements refer to the flow charts on pages
3 to 8 and then the relevant table on pages 9 to 10 in conjunction with the following
notes. Unless stated, seats are not required to be fitted with seat belts.
2. Passenger seats Passenger seats are those designated for normal use when the
vehicle is travelling on the road. Seating arrangements only intended for use
when the vehicle is stationary (e.g. settee etc in the living area of a motor
caravan) are not required to have seat belts.
3. Side facing seats Side facing seats are not required to be fitted with seat
belts.
4. Occasional seats Occasional seats that fold down when not in use are not required
to be fitted with seat belts. Care must be taken in assessing whether seats are,
by manufacture, intended for everyday use with the ability to be folded for extra
luggage space or intended for occasional use. Seats for everyday use should not
be considered as “occasional” seats.
5. Goods vehicle conversion A goods vehicle which has been converted to a passenger
vehicle specification (i.e. fitted with rear seats and side windows etc.) must
comply with the relevant “passenger vehicle” requirements. |
Statutory
fitment
1. Check
that each seat that requires a seat belt is fitted with one of the appropriate
type
General Information
6. Seats in goods vehicles Seats fitted to the rear of the driver’s compartment
in a goods vehicle are not required to be fitted with seat belts unless the seat
is the specified front passenger seat (see note 7).
7. Specified front passenger seat The “specified front passenger seat” requiring
a seat belt is the seat which is · foremost in the vehicle and · furthest from
the drivers seat Unless there is a fixed partition separating the passenger seat
from a space in front of it which is alongside the driver’s seat, e.g. certain
types of taxis, buses etc.
8. 3 Point belt 3 point belt” means a seat belt which · restrains the upper and
lower parts of the torso · includes a lap belt · is anchored at not less than
three points · is designed for use by an adult.
9. Adult harness belt An adult harness belt comprising a lap belt and shoulder
straps bearing a British Standard or European approval marking (an upper case
’E’ or lower case ‘e’ and a number) is an acceptable alternative to any of the
seat belt types listed |
1.
A statutory seat belt:
• missing
• of the wrong type.
General Information
10. Vehicle definitions An Ambulance motor vehicle which is specially designed
and constructed (and not merely adapted) for carrying as equipment permanently
fixed to the vehicle, equipment used for medical, dental, or other health purposes
and is used primarily for the carriage of persons suffering from illness, injury
or disability.
A `motor caravan' is "a motor vehicle (not being a living van) which is constructed
or adapted for the carriage of passengers and their effects and which contains,
as permanently installed equipment, the facilities which are reasonably necessary
for enabling the vehicle to provide mobile living accommodation for its users".
Motor caravans are not classed as goods vehicles for MOT test purposes and are
therefore in Class 4 or 5 depending on their seating capacity but regardless of
their size or weight.
A `living van' is "a vehicle, whether mechanically propelled or not, which is
used for living accommodation by one or more persons and which is also used for
the carriage of goods or burden which are not needed by such one or more persons
for the purpose of their residence in the vehicle". Living vans are classed as
goods vehicles and, depending on their weight, are therefore in either Class 4
or 7 within the MOT test scheme or are subject to HGV plating and testing |
