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Seat belts

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vping

vping

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According to another post.
[ QUOTE ]
...Did you know that before July 67, you didn't need seat belts?

(and it is legal to drive w/o them in Pa. today if you car is pre 68)

[/ QUOTE ]

Does that mean that the manuf. did not need to install them or you did not need to use them?

I'm in NY so the rules might be different.

FTR. My '67 has them and my '52 TD does not.
 
I believe manufactures where required to install seat belts a couple of decades before folks where required to actually wear them. I want to say sometime in the mid to late sixties sounds about right.

It varies from state to state but I don’t think the actual wearing of seat belts was mandated (became a ticket-able offence) until sometime in the 80’s. However it is a relatively recent development where some states (like Kalifornia) allow the police to actually pull you over just for not wearing a seatbelts. Before it was a “secondary violation” that was only issued if you’d been pulled over for something else.

I'll have to confirm this but I think that in Kalifornia you have to "install" seatbelts even if your vehicle didn't come with them origenally.
 
That's weird because my TD came from Passadena and was drivin in the 90's. No belts when I got her.
 
Auto makers were required to install them in the '60's...but it wasn't mandatory for us to use them until many years later.
 
If a car does not have them do you need to install? I would not know where to begin in the TD. I need to get to that point of working on it also. SOON I hope to have her running.
 
In Michigan, if it was not standard equipment when your car was produced, they are exempt from the seatbelt law. Also, MI is a primary enforcement state when it comes to seatbelts with tickets starting at $65 per offense.
 
[ QUOTE ]
That's weird because my TD came from Passadena and was drivin in the 90's. No belts when I got her.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah really, given how law abiding everyone is out here in la, la land - I’m surprised too. (Note subtle use of sarcasm /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

But remember unlike the rest of the Union – Kalifornia doesn’t have any sort of safety inspection required for registration so none compliance on a classic or any vehicle shouldn’t be much of surprise. Bout the only way an older vehicle like a TD would ever be singled out for not having seat belts would be if the owner drew attention to himself by doing something illegal & got himself pulled over. Even then the cop would have to be a real stickler for the rules.

But all I’m doing is stating the facts as I understand’em.
 
I think you can get away without them here in CA if you can show that there is no safe place provided by the manufacturer to mount the belts. My TC and YB both do not have belts and I'd rather not install them because they look so out of place. However it's difficult to enjoy your classic car when you're dead so at some point I will be installing hook-type removable belts to both cars.
 
Obviously you should check with your state's DMV. However, on other issues (not related to safety) such as emissions and such, you are grandfathered in. That is to say, you aren't required to re-engineer a classic car to bring it up to standards that are more stringent than when the car was produced. Consider the case of safety glass, bumper heights, impact resistant bumpers, driver side air bags, etc. Seatbelts may be treated differently but I doubt the DMV can require you to install and use any equipment not originally installed on a vehicle. The exception would almost certainly be if the vehicle was used for commercial purposes.
 
Steve,
You'll have to show me what you are intending to install. I am of the belief that you cannot enjoy them dead and have been wearing a belt from day one. Saved my life or head a few times. Looking at the TD I cannot figure where to put them.
 
Mt TC had some when I got it....One of the first things I did was remove them becasue they where cheapo belts and looked horrible. I don't have any in the MGA's as well and it's not a requirement here becasue the car never came with them. But I think I am going to install some in the 61 because my wife drives it daily in the summer months so I'd like to make it as safe as possible.
 
The 1965 Mustang I helped my dad rebuild did not have belts in it either, and the state told him that they were not required for that year... I'd love to have a car that didn't have them, just so I could quote the law in court and then say "stick it".

Yes I have a few mental issues.... Still wondering if I passed my psyc exam at nucor. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
Another interesting note.

In Pa.... If you have belts in a pre 68....You HAVE to wear them.

My advice.......Install the snap in ones so you can easily remove them.

What are your thoughts on seat belts in a convertible w/o a roll bar or a windscreen that is firmly attached?

Are you one of the "thrown clear" crowd?
Or would you rather have yer butt strapped to a rolling car?
 
I've gone back and forth on the seat belt issue in a convertible. I've always believed you DO NOT want to be thrown. Once clear of the car, you run the risk of being run over by it or someone else. And at the very least, you are now tumbling and skidding along the ground out of control at highway speeds. NOT a good situation, especially if you hit one or more objects. You want all that metal around you taking the blows instead of your body.

Shoulder belts are the big controversy for me. They will help prevent back and neck injury and keep you from slamming your head at warp nine into various metal objects in a classic car cockpit. But in a roll-over I always wonder if they will prevent you from "ducking" to avoid being decapitated. That's assuming of course that a person would have the strength to stay "ducked" during a roll.

I have 3-point belts in my '65 MGB and lap belts in the '58 A. The TC will get lap belts only since there is no good place to mount 3-point belts anyway as in the MGA).
 
[ QUOTE ]
What are your thoughts on seat belts in a convertible w/o a roll bar or a windscreen that is firmly attached?

Are you one of the "thrown clear" crowd?
Or would you rather have yer butt strapped to a rolling car?

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, I’ve seen the results of both & without going into the gory details, either way they’ll be picking you up with a sponge & using a garden hose to dispose of whatever that missed.
 
I can't find the specific video. I come to a page and would have to search through all of them.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I can't find the specific video. I come to a page and would have to search through all of them.

[/ QUOTE ]
Scroll down.
[ QUOTE ]
Man, that was a terrifying crash.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yep...I think about that one when I get to feeling overly playful in the Elva. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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