Do Antique Cars Need Seat Belts

My understanding of the Australian Design Rules is that lap sash seat belts are only required by cars manufactured after 1st Jan 1969 for the front seats and 1st Jan 1971 for the rear seats.

Do antique cars need seat belts. Seat Belts for Classic Cars - Pre 1972 All seat belts are manufactured under European standard R16 and under ISO9002 quality control procedures and are either tested to European standard R16 for Modern seat belts or to British standard BS3254 for period style seat belts for vehicles up to 1973. There is no provision for a passenger belt and the seat was either removed or never fitted. Children over 3 are only allowed to sit in the back seats.

Many antique and classic cars came without seat belts. More precisely though the questions should instead be What were the standards laws in place at the time of the cars manufacturing. If a classic car was originally manufactured without seat belts then it currently does not need to have seat belts fitted.

Those over 4 years and 40 pounds can sit in a booster seat. No law has mandated installation or usage of seat belts if they were not so equipped from the factory with the exception of commercial trucks. In the case of the 1939 Packard the kids can legally ride with grandpa without car seats or seat belts.

Therefore if you own a classic car and no seat belts are fitted as standard you have no legal obligation to have them fitted. One do states require seatbelts even if the car was manufactured without them. Since cars 68 and newer are not classics they do not have to be equipped with seat belts.

Many cars were manufactured without them prior to new legislation introduced in 1983 that required passengers to wear seat belts. A seat belt that is too long or that doesnt have any elastic give cant absorb the shock of a sudden stop and at best can result in severe whiplash for the pup. However you should bear in mind that children under 3 years old will not be able to travel in your vehicle.

Every one in the car should be buckled. No belt is required for a central front passenger seat. As indicated by the others.