Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > iRV2.com COMMUNITY FORUMS > iRV2.com General Discussion
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 03-27-2011, 05:32 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
decodancer's Avatar
 
Vintage RV Owners Club
Solo Rvers Club
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Armonk NY
Posts: 308
Are rear seat belts in a motorhome?

I'm selling my 1983 class C to a family with four children ages 11 to 15. There are no seatbelts installed in the rear. They are planning a cross country trip. Are seat belts required?
__________________
Fulltime workamper traveling with Toy Poodles Cricket and Liza and Standard Poodle Gable
decodancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 03-27-2011, 05:37 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
GaryKD's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Wellington, Florida
Posts: 13,599
Hi decodancer,
My assumption is all states have the same seat belt laws. At a high level, they are not required. However, if the child is young enough to require a car seat, then the belt is required to securely fasten the car seat.

For me, I purchased two sets of seat belts and installed them in the forward facing seat of the dinette. This gives me seat belts for 8 people (driver included). That is what I need. Consider recommending the new owner do the same.
__________________
Gary
2005 Newmar KSDP 3910 + GMC ENVOY XUV 37K lbs Moving Down The Road
The Avatar Is Many Times Around The USA
Nobody Knows Your Coach Like Somebody Who Owns One Just Like Yours
GaryKD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-27-2011, 06:19 PM   #3
Moderator Emeritus
 
TXiceman's Avatar
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Bryan, TX when not traveling.
Posts: 22,945
Blog Entries: 21
It is easy enough to install some belts. My opinion is I do not move the RV or truck untill all seat belts are locked in place.

Ken
__________________
Amateur Radio Operator (KE5DFR)|No Longer Full-Time! - 2023 Cougar 22MLS toted by 2022 F150, 3.5L EcoBoost Tow Max FX4 Lariat Travel with one Standard Schnauzer and one small Timneh African Gray Parrot, retired mechanical engineer
TXiceman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-27-2011, 06:34 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
AFChap's Avatar
 
Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: ...East Texas
Posts: 5,325
I think most states require seatbelts in designated passenger positions in vehicles mfg'ered after a certain year. My Class A has 3 seatbelts on each of the 2 side-facing couches. I definitely would want seatbelts for passengers. If you install seatbelts in a dinette, make sure to anchor them to the floor or something else that will not break away in an accident.
__________________
Paul (KE5LXU) ...was fulltimin', now parttimin'
2022 Coachmen Leprechaun 319MB
towing 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
AFChap is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2011, 05:51 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
H. Miller's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,529
Quote:
Originally Posted by decodancer View Post
Are seat belts required?
YES! and worn.
__________________
Hal & Ginny Miller '04 Beaver Santiam PRT40
'04 Saturn Vue - US Gear Brake - Blue Ox tow
3"girls" (2 Irish Setters - 1 Retriever) - RIP Annie & Emily (12/26/2017)
H. Miller is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2011, 08:42 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA (Stick & Brick)
Posts: 2,643
The "house" is just that. There's no legal requirement for seat belts, as far as I know. Even the two front seats have very vague requirements. Our '02 has only lap belts for the two front seats. They're attached to the seats, not to vehicle structure.

We have belts (three) on the side-facing sofa behind the driver. They're attached to a very substantial-looking tubular steel beam, but the sofa is in the living room slide, so how good are they? There's also one lap belt on the barrel chair behind the front passenger. That one is firmly anchored to the sliding platform that the chair sits on.

There are no belts in the dinette, and the seats are placarded "Not for occupancy when vehicle is in motion". 90% of our travels are for me, DW and our two Labs. The dogs get their chest harnesses hooked to a seat belt, either on the barrel chair or the forward-most sofa belt. That way they can still see out and enjoy the trip.

Additional homo sapiens will need some review. my gut feel is that the aft-facing dinette is probaly the safest seat in the house, and I might add two belts to it, with the appropriate strengthening of attachment structure, etc. Useful to have an FAA DER in Payloads Structures for a son-in-law!
__________________
Frank Damp -Anacortes, WA,(DW- Eileen)
ex-pat Brits (1968) and ex-RVers.
frankdamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2011, 08:54 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
4Knights's Avatar
 
Oklahoma Boomers Club
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,801
Quote:
Originally Posted by frankdamp

my gut feel is that the aft-facing dinette is probaly the safest seat in the house, and I might add two belts to it, with the appropriate strengthening of attachment structure, etc. Useful to have an FAA DER in Payloads Structures for a son-in-law!
Not positive but I believe Aft means facing the rear of the coach! Unless you have a high back chair all the way past the neck you need to face forward or sideways at worst to prevent serious if not life threatening injuries to the spine during sudden stops.

I know our coach has a max belted occupancy when moving of 7 on the sticker in the bedroom closet. # of seat belts Driver, passenger, recliner, 2 forward facing in dinette and 2 on sofa.

Ron & Wendy 94 Pace Arrow 454
__________________
Ron & Wendy-Kansas
94 Pace Arrow 34 ft
25 yr Army retired 2006
4Knights is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-29-2011, 11:45 AM   #8
Moderator Emeritus
 
Gary RVRoamer's Avatar


 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: West Palm Beach, FL. USA
Posts: 27,563
As you can see, the rules are very complex. Federal DOT rules apply everywhere, but state laws vary. Generally, passenger car seat belt laws do not apply to large vehicles, where "large" is typically defined as over 8000 lb GVWR. School & city transit busses, for example, have no seat belts.

The dinette seats, sofa, etc. have no neck support and very little elsewhere, so belting into one is sort of an academic measure. And the dinette table is a hazard to anyone near it in an accident, as are the corners of furniture and cabinets.

I've been in a major motorhome accident and can testify that its shear size and weight does a lot to protect passengers. But I am also an advocate of seat belt use, so would suggest that the buyer add them wherever possible, on the theory that some protection is better than none at all.
__________________
Gary Brinck
Former owner of 2004 American Tradition and several other RVs
Home is West Palm Beach, FL
Gary RVRoamer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
2004 Signature Rear Camera Mike Canter Monaco Owner's Forum 1 04-19-2010 05:24 PM
Black marks on the ceiling and in the cupboards of a rear engine diesel motorhome edggy MH-General Discussions & Problems 11 04-05-2010 09:56 AM
Winterizing Motorhome liteweight Class A Motorhome Discussions 4 11-05-2009 08:18 AM
Rear Engine Disaster... gatayloe@prodigy.net Workhorse and Chevrolet Chassis Motorhome Forum 52 09-29-2008 04:08 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:41 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.