Hi there I am thinking of putting in a buddy seat in my '73 bay and was wondering if you had to put a seat belt in as well and if I wanted to put a belt in anyway, what would be the best way of going about it. seat would be behind the passenger side on a RHD bus (so next to sliding door) cheers
if you're going to use it as a bona fide passenger's seat when travelling, you need to make sure that the fittings and fixtures are MoT approved. If the vehicle was fitted with a buddy seat originally, the regs may apply according to year of manufacture. If it's a new addition, then I imagine you will have to abide by the very latest stipulations. Have a look on the Dept. Transport website for the proper info rather than anecdotal suggestions on here. I'm not saying that you won't get an informed response from this forum but in light of the fact that improper information could have serious consequences, i'm going to suggest you do your own sound research. Personally, I wouldn't have two people sitting either side of a bulkhead, especially without suitable head restraints....
i dont have a buddy here but have one behind drivers seat , rear facing seats dont have to have a seat belt , i dont have them on mine but their is only the two of us , i think if a child was sitting their id want something, also some sort of head rest to protect the neck maybe?? in view of what vanorak has said this is only what ive been told and mine has always passed a mot without but it is a 73?? so yes check to be certain
I have a buddy seat behind the passenger seat, it's a fold up one from Bluebird customs, not got seat belt on it but we only use it when parked up, also got one in between the front seats, the walkthrough bit permanently fixed, another Bluebird seat, which I have fitted largely to. that's kye the dogs seat. not had issue with Mot, they always check it too.
Had a look on the dvla website and its all very grey, researched it a bit more and its still very grey……….
defo told rear facing you dont need them , if fitted must be to british std , i have one inertia and one lap on back seat too . trub i can see if behind passenger can you use same anchor at high level so to speek ? my seat doesnt fold either its fixed and i think they said it must be bolted in ??
have you tried adjusting your contrast? Sorry...couldn't resist I've read it somewhere a while ago, because i looked into it myself...will have a nose round and see what i can muster up
www.dvtani.gov.uk/uploads/publications/general/retrofit.pdf did you read this? For mini buses so may not be wholly relevant. Also, I'd contact Securon, who manuacture seat belts...they may be able to advise
their you go then if in doubt walk . so its side facing. Something i do know if you get hit in the side and your twisted as if to protect yourself and hit whilst wearing a seat belt , it does your back n neck no fecking good atall Fact as tried n tested by moi
only vhhicles after 1997 have to have seat belts in the back as standard , but if seat belts have been fitted even if not from a manufacture they have to comply with mot , pre 63 dont need seat belts at all front or back , owen nw
I really wouldn't have anyone travelling in the buddy seat. Seatbelts won't work, as both the snatch and pendulum mechanisms are working in the wrong direction. In a smash, the metal seat pedestal will likely break the neck of anyone in the seat, and their head being thrown forwards will likely kill anyone in the front passenger seat. Not good.
Am about to fit a buddy seat, will be a folding one like the bluebird one, well it's came with the bus I believe it's an original Devon one?? I was wondering about seatbelt a with it as we would have wanted to use it for seating when travelling for one of the older boys..... @snotty got me worried now don't think I'll bother!!!
ffs live your life guys be aware of the issues and try to mitigate aginst the worst, theres always a residual risk in anything you do. My bus has seat belts for the rear bech seat cos I fitted them. I can take them out tomorrow and no-one would be any the wiser. My T25 Viking had a flip-down rear facing seat behind the passenger seat with a 3 point seat bel - no bulkhead. Passenger seat had a head rest... Our buses arent the safest thing on the road - the front of mine is, well, less than 1mm thick with not a lot of crumple capacity and a significant lump of metsl attached at the back which will still be moving when the front has stopped when you hit something. I say if you have a rear facing seat then a belt is useful. If your worried about head clashes then fit head rests. Chances are if you hit summat that hard your furnature is likely to be joining you in the front anyway!
Well, your choice. I wouldn't sit in a rear facing Devon-style buddy seat on the move. Even a modest 2G bump is going to make you weigh twice your bodyweight, flung against the bulkhead. They're for picnics, not travelling. Still, it's a free country...
If you look at india and see the way they travel what are we worrying about and they have eeeeven more cars on their roads ,as i said up their^^ i had so called proper seat belt on in a modern car with front and side air bags, both going off, it didnt stop me getting a smashed up spine and neck , full race harness is probably the only thing that might help in some situations and then not all . Its all a risk game , trouble is its not always your fault either its the couldnt careless attitude of people who drive dangerously and with no regard for others, seat belt or no seat belt simple as that. That said how many serious accidents have you all been in ? very few i expect .Ever stood on a bus watch kids on school buses As dicky says enjoy your bus , lifes to short .
It seems Vanorak had provided the bet answer... If you have seat belts fitted the anchor points and the belts must comply with the standards and are subject to the MOT inspection. My bus has cut edges on the rear belts so I remove these for MOT. Regarding what is safe and what is not it depends on who you are going to have sat in the seat. If its a kid I would say a clear no. If it's an adult then it's their choice but it also depends on their size, what sort of seat, headrests etc but also your own personal attitude to how you drive and compliance with the law. I wouldn't fancy being in the buddy seat or the front passenger seat without both seats having headrests as in a collision you'd be lucky if either would survive, even in a low speed car park prang 2 heads colliding at 5 or 10 mpg would likely end in death. If you make it a 'passenger seat' which you have retrofitted it must have a seatbelt fitted, must be inspected for MOT and must appear on your log book. If your bus is a 4 or 5 seater then good luck getting your log book changed. If you carry more people in the bus than the number of seats which appear on your log book you're breaking the law and your insurance will be invalid. 'Buddy' seats are occasional and not intended for use whilst driving. Fact
India? I wonder why they have one of the highest road death rates per capita versus every other nation on the planet? And it sounds like you were lucky to be in a modern car with the correct kind of restraints as I'm guessing that without you'd probably have been killed. I know for a fact that a crash I was in a few years ago that I was saved by the airbags and crash structure. Some of the comments above are correct, these are very old vehicles with little more than a nod to crash safety and yes, you take a greater risk when you leave your drive in one of these than you do when driving a 2013 Ford Focus for example. I don't think that this is an excuse to think 'well it's not safe anyway so just fit any old seat or fitting'
im afraid your wrong in my case , the seat belt and air bags didnt help . I think your find most of the problem is dangerous drivers who dont care about others and think its more important to drive as fast as they can get away with . I am old enough to remember no seat belts and more careful drivers ,because they cared.
I don't know the circumstances of your accident, I guess you were t-boned??, but are you saying your injuries were caused by you wearing a seat belt and the deployment of airbags and that without a modern crash structure, if the car wasn't fitted with seatbelts and airbags that you would not have suffered injuries? I find that hard to believe but if that's what the experts have told you then I trust your word. I guess you're suing the ass off the car manufacturer? I'm sure that if you're old enough to remember days where cars had no seat belts and drivers were so much more careful and considerate than they are now, then you will also remember that 'back then' there were far fewer cars on the roads, also typically driving at reduced speeds due to the size and quality of the roads, there were fewer dual carriages, motorways etc. You'll also remember then that pedestrians, passengers and drivers were actually unlikely to survive an accident, and those that did would typically suffer life changing injuries. This was all back in the days when cigarette smoking was promoted by Doctors i'm guessing and it was also safe to towel dry yourself in asbestos matting... In all seriousness though, you're deluded if you seriously believe that seat belts and airbags are a step back in road safety. Anyhow, back to the original poster - I guess the general answer to your original question is that its in your hands to do what you want just give it some serious consideration, consider the safety of your passengers and other road users, consider what your conscience can cope with and consider the law.
