Can I add seatbelts to the side-facing seats on a 2005 Motorhome? Is that legal? Insurable?

[DamienDevaney]

My mother-in-law has offered to give us her old motorhome. The trouble is we have 3 kids and the motorhome only has 3 seat-belted front facing seats.

There is a side facing bench-style seat, so I thought if we could somehow fit 2 seatbelts to it we've got the 5 seats we need for our family.

I've done some reading and side-facing seats are not allowed in new vehicles, but are permitted in old vehicles. I suspect that retro-fitting seat belts to side seats is probably not legal, and even if it is, could cause us difficulty getting insured.

What do you experts think?

 

[royandsharont]

I’m pretty certain it is illegal to fit belts to side seats. Seatbelts are only legal for forward facing seats.

I had side seats in a 2012 Bessacarr and the legality was I could carry passengers in them but if stopped by police then the officer could deem I was carrying an insecure load and prosecute me. Then the aspect of children belted first before adults.

I always wondered how city busses could and still do travel without belts and I think they may still have side seats, or trains for that matter, but never bothered to look into it. I know coaches now have them

 

[L' Hobo]

I’m pretty certain it is illegal to fit belts to side seats. Seatbelts are only legal for forward facing seats.

I had side seats in a 2012 Bessacarr and the legality was I could carry passengers in them but if stopped by police then the officer could deem I was carrying an insecure load and prosecute me. Then the aspect of children belted first before adults.

I always wondered how city busses could and still do travel without belts and I think they may still have side seats, or trains for that matter, but never bothered to look into it. I know coaches now have them

Short stop local buses do not come into the scope of the regulations.
It a bit like milkmen etc. they do not haveto put their seatbelts on while delivering.

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

I’m pretty certain it is illegal to fit belts to side seats. Seatbelts are only legal for forward facing seats.

I had side seats in a 2012 Bessacarr and the legality was I could carry passengers in them but if stopped by police then the officer could deem I was carrying an insecure load and prosecute me. Then the aspect of children belted first before adults.

I always wondered how city busses could and still do travel without belts and I think they may still have side seats, or trains for that matter, but never bothered to look into it. I know coaches now have them

Buses used in urban areas which are allowed to have standing passengers, as distinct from coaches, are exempt from the requirement to be fitted with seat belts.

Seatbelts on urban buses

www.gov.uk