Regulation 47 Seat beltsI1

This regulation applies to every vehicle to which regulation 46 applies.

Save as provided in paragraph (4) a vehicle to which—

F8Where a lap belt is fitted to a forward-facing front seat of a minibus, a motor ambulance or a motor caravan, or to an exposed forward-facing seat F9(other than the driver’s seat or any crew seat) of a coach either—

but nothing in sub-paragraph (i) above shall require padding to be provided on any surface more than 1m from the centre of the line of intersection of the seat cushion and the back rest or more than 150mm on either side of the longitudinal vertical plane which passes through the centre of that line, nor shall it require padding to be provided on any instrument panel of a minibus.

Every seat belt for an adult, other than a disabled person's belt, provided for a vehicle in accordance with F10any of paragraphs (2)(b) to (j) shall, except as provided in paragraph (6), comply with the installation requirements specified in paragraph 3.2.2 to 3.3.4 of Annex I to Community Directive 77/541 , 82/319, 90/628, 96/36 or 2000/3 whether or not F11those Directives apply to the vehicle.

The requirements specified in paragraph (2) do not apply—

Vehicles constructed or adapted for the secure transport of prisoners shall not be required to comply with the requirements of paragraph (2) in relation to seats for persons other than the driver and any front seat passenger provided that those seats shall have seat belt anchorage points provided for them in accordance with regulation 46.

Every seat belt provided in pursuance of paragraph (2) shall be properly secured to the anchorage points provided for it in accordance with regulation 46; or, in the case of a child restraint, to anchorages specially provided for it or, in the case of a disabled person's belt F21first fitted before 1st October 2001, secured to the vehicle or to the seat which is being occupied by the person wearing the belt.

Paragraph (3), in so far as it relates to the second paragraph of paragraph 3.3.2 of the Annex there mentioned (which concerns the locking or releasing of a seat belt by a single movement) does not apply in respect of a seat belt fitted for—

Every seat belt, other than a disabled person's belt or a seat belt of a kind mentioned in paragraph F23(4)(c) above, provided for any person in a vehicle to which this regulation applies shall be legibly and permanently marked—

Provided this paragraph shall not operate so as to invalidate the exception permitted in paragraph (6).

Paragraph (7) does not apply to—

For the purposes of this regulation a reference to a standard corresponding to a specified British Standard is a reference to—

where the standard, code of practice, international standard or technical specification provides in relation to seat belts, a level of safety equivalent to that provided by the British Standard and contains a requirement as respects the marking of seat belts equivalent to that provided by the British Standard.

For the purposes of paragraph (7B)—

In this regulation—

• “body-restraining F28... belt” means a seat belt designed to provide restraint for both the upper and lower parts of the trunk of the wearer in the event of an accident to the vehicle;

• “British Standard mark” means a mark consisting of—

  1. (i)

     the specification number of one of the following British Standards for Seat Belt Assemblies for Motor Vehicles, namely—

     1. (a)

        if it is a seat belt for an adult, BS 3254; 1960 F29or BS 3254: Part 1: 1988; or

     2. (b)

        if it is a child restraint, BS 3254:1960 F30or BS 3254: 1960 as amended by Amendment No. 16 published on 31st July 1986 under the number AMD 5210, F31BS 3254: Part 2: 1988 F32or BS 3254: Part 2: 1991, BS AU 185, BS AU 186 or 186a, BS AU 202 F33, BS AU 202a or BS AU 202b; and, in either case,

  2. (ii)

     the registered certification trade mark of the British Standards Institution;

• “child restraint” means a seat belt for the use of a young person which is designed either to be fitted directly to a suitable anchorage or to be used in conjunction with a seat belt for an adult and held in place by the restraining action of that belt: Provided that for the purposes of paragraph (2) (c)(ii)(B) and (2)(c)(iii) it means only such seat belts fitted directly to a suitable anchorage and excludes belts marked with the specification numbers BS AU 185 and BS AU 186 or 186a.

• F34“crew seat” has the same meaning as in regulation 3(1) of the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981;

• “designated approval mark” means

  1. (a)

     if it is a seat belt other than a child restraint, the marking designated as an approval mark by regulation 4 of the Approval Marks Regulations and shown at F35items 16 and 16A of Schedule 2 to those Regulations or the marking designated as an approval mark by regulation 5 of those Regulations and shown at item 23 F36, 23A and 23B in Schedule 4 to those Regulations, and

  2. (b)

     if it is a child restraint, F37any of the markings designated as approval marks by regulation 4 of those Regulations and shown at items 44, 44A F38, 44B and 44C in Schedule 2 to those Regulations.

• “disabled person's belt” means a seat belt which has been specially designed or adapted for use by an adult or young person suffering from some physical defect or disability and which is intended for use solely by such a person;

• “exposed forward-facing seat” means—

  1. (i)

     a forward-facing front seat (including any crew seat) and the driver’s seat; and

  2. (ii)

     any other forward-facing seat which is not immediately behind and on the same horizontal plane as a forward-facing high-backed seat;

• “forward-facing front seat” means—

  1. (i)

     any forward-facing seat alongside the driver’s seat; or

  2. (ii)

     if the vehicle normally has no seat which is a forward-facing front seat under sub-paragraph (i) of this definition, each forward-facing seat for a passenger which is foremost in the vehicle;

• “forward-facing seat” means a seat which is attached to a vehicle so that it faces towards the front of the vehicle in such a manner that a line passing through the centre of both the front and the back of the seat is at an angle of 30° or less to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle;

• “forward-facing high-backed seat” means a forward-facing seat which is also a high-backed seat;

• “high-backed seat” means a seat the highest part of which is at least 1 metre above the deck of the vehicle.

• “inertia reel belt” means a three-point belt of either of the types required for a front outboard seating position by paragraph 3.1.1. of Annex 1 to Community Directive 77/541;

• “lap belt” means a seat belt which passes across the front of the wearer's pelvic region F39and which is designed for use by an adult;

• F40“retractable lap belt” means a lap belt with either an automatically locking retractor (as defined in paragraph 1.8.3 of Annex I to Community Directive 77/541) or an emergency locking retractor (as defined in paragraph 1.8.4 of Annex I to Community Directive 77/541);

• “seat” includes any part designed for the accommodation of one adult of a continuous seat designed for the accommodation of more than one adult;

• “seat belt” means a belt intended to be worn by a person in a vehicle and designed to prevent or lessen injury to its wearer in the event of an accident to the vehicle and includes, in the case of a child restraint, any special chair to which the belt is attached;

• “specified passenger's seat” means—

  1. (i)

     in the case of a vehicle which has one forward-facing front seat alongside the driver's seat, that seat, and in the case of a vehicle which has more than one such seat, the one furthest from the driver's seat; or

  2. (ii)

     if the vehicle normally has no seat which is the specified passenger's seat under sub-paragraph (i) of this definition the forward-facing front seat for a passenger which is foremost in the vehicle and furthest from the driver's seat, unless there is a fixed partition separating that seat from the space in front of it alongside the driver's seat;

  and

• “three-point belt” means a seat belt which—

  1. (i)

     restrains the upper and lower parts of the torso;

  2. (ii)

     includes a lap belt;

  3. (iii)

     is anchored at not less than three points; and

  4. (iv)

     is designed for use by an adult.