Morris Minor Owners Club

Does anybody know if I have to get seat belts fitted to my morris so that my children are able to use them?

Glenda

i think children up to the age of 12 ? have to wear belts but it may have changed

A child of 3 years and over may travel unrestrained in the rear seat of a vehicle if no seat belt is available. (DVLA website-Seat Belts).
However I would recommend fitting child belts

That's right, over three to sit on the rear seat and over 12 (or 135cm) to sit on the front seat if no belts are fitted. If belts are fitted the correct child seat or booster must also be used.

Here is my attempt at fitting rear seatbelts.

http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... 40#p318940

Thanks peeps,

all my children are over 3 so I think they should be ok!

Glenda

Maybe I've misunderstood, but I would have though children of any age should be wearing seatbelts, especially in an older car like a Morris. If my car wasn't fitted with seatbelts, I wouldn't allow my children wouldn't travel in it.....simples.

My Minor doesn't have any seatbelts. My daughter is six and she likes to lie on the (back) seat and take a nap on longer journeys. I assume that's perfectly legal?

Neil MG wrote:My Minor doesn't have any seatbelts. My daughter is six and she likes to lie on the (back) seat and take a nap on longer journeys. I assume that's perfectly legal?

perfectly legal yes but not something i would want to allow my daughter to do.

For peace of mind and for the safety of the children fit seat belts. What is the cost of a full set belts and fitting compared to the loss of a child, wife, husband, partner.

We all think we are safe, but it only takes one prang. It's no good wishing you'd fitted them afterwards.

It's in the nature of accidents that you don't expect them, Dean makes a very good point.

A recent story like this brings it home.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bi ... m-15908388

I'm amazed by the flippant, dare I say irresponsible attitude of some people towards children not wearing seatbelts. With all the publicity over the years and links like the one shown above, I can't believe people even consider letting their children or anyone else travel without seatbelts, especially in an old car like a Morris. Why are people concerned about the legality of children travelling without seatbelts? Surely it should be one of your main considerations when buying an old car and you should factor fitting sealtbelts into your budget. Whether it's legal should not be a question you need to ask, more so how do I fit seatbelts before I take my child in the car!! If you are letting your child lie unrestrained on the rear seat, you need to seriously question whether this is responsible. If you were stopped by the Police I would think they would take a very dim view of this.

I do not have seat belts in several of my classics and have no intention of fitting them. There is no question of budget or competence. These cars are inherently less safe in an accident than a modern car, but still (and even without seat belts) much safer than a motorcycle! I drive defensively, but if an a 40 ton truck hits me head on, seatbelt or not...

It's a matter of opinion and perspective. I have crossplys and no flashing indicators on my Minor too; I don't suggest anyone else does the same. Be as safe as you can be.

My dad had a vw camper van when we were children and we didnt have seat belts in that and we didnt crash and die just because we didnt have seat belts. Another point is that a very good friend of mine only survived a crash because he wasnt wearing a seabelt, as a vehicle crashed into him he was thrown free from his car and as he was thrown free his car exploded if he'd been wearing a seatbelt he would have died instantly.

Glenda

We can argue either way, but I know my kids will be strapped in.

Someone posted an accident on here last year where a mobile phone user drove straight into the rear of their moggy on a dual carriageway. The moggy rolled over, with both passenger doors flinging open. Without seatbelts passengers would have been thrown clear, as it was they were wearing them and walked away shaken up and lived to post the story.

Remember kids can't make decisions, they entrust you are making the right ones for them. Make sure it isn't the wrong one, for their sake.

There would no doubt be a good number of parents who would regard it as 'irresponsible' to carry a child in any classic car, even with a seat belt. Undeniably it places them at greater risk of harm than would be the case in a car of modern design. Does that mean you'd be happy to accept being berated by others who believe you're failing to take basic measures to protect your kids? Therefore the only acceptable solution is to respect the decisions of others, even though we might disagree with them ourselves.

I'm not a parent, but if I was, I probably would fit rear belts.

Dean wrote:Remember kids can't make decisions, they entrust you are making the right ones for them. Make sure it isn't the wrong one, for their sake.

Couldn't agree more!

Took me all of 90 minutes today to fit front seat belts to Mildred, and they were cheap. I drove her for a week without them and felt naked the whole time. I'll be much more comfortable on my way to work tomorrow, knowing that statistically my chances of surviving an accident are increased dramatically if I'm belted in. For every story of someone surviving an accident because they were thrown clear (not wearing a belt) there are hundreds of those who died when they were thrown from the car -- not wearing belts. I still have a scar on my forehead from a childhood accident (before seat belts). My mom had to brake hard and I flew into the dashboard -- metal with knobs all sticking out (like our Moggies). A seat belt on and I would have been fine. Of course, none of us are ever going to be in an accident ---- until we are. The numbers don't lie -- and the solution is cheap and easy.