front centre seat belts + MOT

The on-line MOT Testers Manual appears to suggest that a centre front seat doesn't require a seat belt.

Ta, it does seem to say no requirement for one. nice and easy for me then!

That manual is hard to understand though. It also says there is no requirement for rear belts on forward facing rear seats prior to 1987 and i'm sure that last time i had my car MOT's he um'd and aahd on this point (my car is a 1980 with no rear belts) and i was sure the changeover date for rear belt was very early 80's..

I agree that this is difficult to understand at times. Of course, it's written as a reminder for someone who's been on a training course .. a bit like M$ documentation :-)

Might I suggest checking C&U Regulations regarding requirement for seat belts for front seats.

One of the many, many reasons I swapped the Defender for a Disco was that, having bought a 3rd seat, and got a belt for it from my son who 'happened to have one', we found that only a non-inertia reel one would fit.

At this stage I asked at a local MOT station, who said that they would require one, but just a lap belt. I didn't try a tour of other places for a second opinion, and just took the seat out for the MOT.

Anyone in the North West looking for one?

Does anyone have a link to an on-line version of C&U Regs?

Yes and No!

They're normally here:

- and you may well find the later amendments including anything referring to seat belts.

The original document though is, I believe, Statutory Instrument 1078 of

1986 which predates the stuff available on the web ... unless there's a copy somewhere else .....

You can get a huge list of the amendments by searching on the above page for: "Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986" but it's not a great help.

On or around Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:03:56 GMT, SteveG enlightened us thusly:

I bet you it'll fail, though. And depending on vehicle age it may contravene C&U or other regulations.

In message , Austin Shackles writes

I was a bit puzzled by the link given earlier as it implied, no stated that post 1965 vehicles 1-8 passengers did not need a belt on centre front passenger seat.

From what I remember it was the introduction of compulsory seat belts that killed off the bench seat in the front.

On or around Sun, 27 Jan 2008 11:38:11 GMT, SteveG enlightened us thusly:

I can recommend

especially for vehiclelegislation.

been subscribing to him for several years now, good service for the price, when you consider how much it costs otherwise.