Appendix C: Seat belt fitment tables
Seat belt fitment requirements and tables.
These tables provide a three letter code to denote the seat belt requirements as follows:
- first letter is driver’s and specified front passenger seat belts
- second letter is other forward-facing front passenger seats belts
- third letter is rear seat belts
To use these tables:
- select the heading that relates to the vehicle under test
- refer to the ‘look up’ tables for the seat belt fitment code relative to the vehicle’s date of first use
- for passenger vehicles with up to 8 passenger seats select the table relevant to the vehicle’s unladen weight
- note the code and determine the seat belt requirements using the Look up tables
For tricycles and quadricycles first used on or after 17 June 1999, the seat belt requirements are fully detailed in Table 11 and it is not necessary to use the Look up tables.
Table 1. Driver’s and specified front passenger seat belts.
A specified front passenger seat is the seat which is foremost in the vehicle and furthest from the driver’s seat.
| Seat belt type | Description |
|---|---|
| A | Belt which restrains the upper part of the body (but need not include a lap belt) |
| B | Three-point belt or disabled person’s belt |
| C | Any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt - retractable lap belt - disabled person’s belt - child restraint (not driver’s seats) |
| D | For the driver’s seat, any of the following: - three-point belt - lap belt - disabled person’s belt There is no requirement for the specified front passenger seat to have a belt. |
| E | Any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt - disabled person’s belt - child restraint (not driver’s seats) |
Table 2. Other forward-facing front passenger seat belts
| Seat belt type | Description |
|---|---|
| F | none |
| G | Any of the following: - three-point belt - lap belt - disabled person’s belt |
| H | Any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt - lap belt - disabled person’s belt |
| J | Any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt - retractable lap belt - disabled person’s belt - child restraint |
| K | Three-point belt or lap belt |
| L | Any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt - disabled person’s belt - child restraint |
Table 3. Rear seat belts
| Seat belt type | Description |
|---|---|
| M | none |
| N | In forward facing rear seats: A three-point inertia reel belt in at least one seat, or any of the following in both seats: - three-point belt - lap belt - disabled person’s belt |
| O | In forward facing rear seats any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt on an outboard seat and a three-point static or inertia reel belt, lap belt, disabled persons belt or child restraint for at least one other seat - static three-point belt for one seat and a disabled person’s belt or child restraint for at least one other seat - three-point belt, lap belt, disabled person’s belt or child restraint to each seat |
| P | In forward and rearward facing rear seats any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt - disabled person’s belt - child restraint |
| Q | Any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt - retractable lap belt - disabled person’s belt - child restraint |
| R | In forward and rearward facing rear seats any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt - retractable lap belt - disabled person’s belt - child restraint Note: Retractable lap belts may be fitted on any exposed seat where there are no seats or surfaces directly in front. They are acceptable on non-exposed seats only if an appropriate energy absorbing seat or surface is present in front. |
| S | In exposed forward facing seats (any rear seat which is not immediately behind a forward facing seat), a three-point belt or lap belt |
| T | In forward facing rear seats any of the following: - three-point inertia reel belt - disabled person’s belt - child restraint |
A ‘passenger vehicle’ is a vehicle constructed solely for the carriage of passengers and their effects.
A goods vehicle which has been converted to a ‘passenger vehicle’ specification (for example, fitted with rear seats and side windows) must comply with the relevant ‘passenger vehicle’ requirements.
A ‘motor caravan’ is a motor vehicle which is both:
- constructed or adapted for the carriage of passengers and their effects
- permanently installed with equipment and facilities which are reasonably necessary to enable the vehicle to provide mobile living accommodation
Motor caravans are in Class 4 or 5 depending on their seating capacity. Size or weight does not determine which class the motor caravan is in.
An ‘ambulance’ is a motor vehicle that’s both:
- specially designed and constructed (and not merely adapted) for carrying as equipment permanently fixed to the vehicle, equipment used for medical, dental, or other health purposes
- used primarily for the carriage of persons suffering from illness, injury or disability
Table 4. Seatbelt fitments for vehicles with an unladen weight of 2,540kg or less
| Date of first use | Forward facing rear seats | Seat belt fitment |
|---|---|---|
| before 1 Jan 1965 | n/a | none |
| before 1 April 1981 | n/a | A, F and M |
| before 1 April 1987 | n/a | B, F and M |
| on or after 1 April 1987 | 2 or fewer more than 2 |
B, G and N B, G and O |
Table 5. Seatbelt fitments for vehicles with an unladen weight more than 2,540kg
| Date of first use | Forward facing rear seats | Design gross weight | Seat belt fitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| before 1 October 1988 | n/a | n/a | none |
| before 1 October 2001 | 2 or fewer more than 2 |
n/a 3,500kg or less more than 3,500kg |
B, G and N B, G and M none |
| on or after 1 October 2001 | 2 or fewer n/a |
n/a 3,500kg or less more than 3,500kg |
B, G and N B, L and T C, J and R |
A ‘minibus’ is a motor vehicle constructed or adapted to carry more than 8, but no more than 16 seated passengers.
A ‘motor caravan’ is a motor vehicle which is both:
- constructed or adapted for the carriage of passengers and their effects
- permanently installed with equipment and facilities which are reasonably necessary to enable the vehicle to provide mobile living accommodation
Motor caravans are in Class 4 or 5 depending on their seating capacity. Size or weight does not determine which class the motor caravan is in.
An ‘ambulance’ is a motor vehicle that’s both:
- specially designed and constructed (and not merely adapted) for carrying as equipment permanently fixed to the vehicle, equipment used for medical, dental, or other health purposes
- used primarily for the carriage of persons suffering from illness, injury or disability
Table 6. Seatbelt fitments for minibuses, motor caravans and ambulances with 9-16 passengers
| Date of first use | Weight | Passenger seats | Seat belt fitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| before 1 Jan 1965 | n/a | n/a | none |
| before 1 October 1982 | ULW 2,540kg or less ULW more than 2,540kg |
9 - 16 9 - 16 |
A, F and M none |
| before 1 October 1988 | ULW 2,540kg or less ULW more than 2,540kg |
9 - 16 9 - 16 |
B, F and M none |
| before 1 October 2001 | DGW 3,500kg or less DGW more than 3,500kg |
9 - 16 9 - 16 |
B, G and M none |
| on or after 1 October 2001 | DGW 3,500kg or less DGW more than 3,500kg |
9 - 12 13 - 16 9 - 16 |
B, L and T C, L and T C, J and R |
A ‘coach’ is a motor vehicle constructed or adapted to carry more than 16 seated passengers, with a DGW of more than 7,500kg and a maximum speed in excess of 60mph.
Table 7. Seatbelt fitments for coaches
| Date of first use | Seat belt fitment |
|---|---|
| before 1 October 1988 | none |
| before 1 October 2001 | D, G and S |
| on or after 1 October 2001 | C, J and R |
A ‘bus’ is a motor vehicle which is constructed or adapted to carry more than 8 seated passengers (see also ‘minibus’).
Table 8. Seatbelt fitments for other buses
| Date of first use | Design gross weight | Seat belt fitment |
|---|---|---|
| before 1 October 2001 | n/a | none |
| on or after 1 October 2001 | DGW 3,500kg or less DGW more than 3,500kg |
E, L and T C, J and R |
A ‘goods vehicle’ is a motor vehicle constructed or adapted for use for the carriage or haulage of goods or burden of any description.
Table 9. Seatbelt fitments for goods vehicles
| Date of first use | Unladen weight | Seat belt fitment |
|---|---|---|
| before 1 April 1967 | n/a | none |
| before 1 April 1980 | more than 1,525kg 1,525kg or less |
none A, F and M |
| before 1 April 1981* | n/a | A, F and M |
| before 1 April 1987* | n/a | B, F and M |
| on or after 1 April 1987 | n/a | B, G and M |
*Except a model of vehicle manufactured before 1 October 1979 and first used before 1st April 1982.
Table 10. Three-wheeled vehicles first used before 17 June 1999
| Date of first use | Unladen weight | Number of forward facing rear seats | Seat belt fitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| before 1 January 1965 | n/a | n/a | none |
| on or after 1 September 1970 | 255kg or less more than 255kg* |
n/a n/a |
none A, F and M |
| before 1 April 1981 | more than 410kg | n/a | A, F and M |
| before 1 April 1987 | more than 410kg | n/a | B, F and M |
| on or after 1 April 1987 | more than 410kg | 2 or fewer more than 2 |
B, G and N B, G and O |
*If an amateur built vehicle has less than 410kg unladen weight and a driving seat of a type that the driver sits astride, it does not need a seat belt.
Table 11. Tricycles and quadricycles first used on or after 17 June 1999
| Seat | Belt requirements |
|---|---|
| driver’s seat | Three-point lap and diagonal belt (may be static or inertia), harness belt or disabled persons belt |
| outboard (front) passenger seat | Three-point lap and diagonal belt (may be static or inertia), harness belt or disabled persons belt |
| centre front seat | Lap belt, three-point lap and diagonal belt (may be static or inertia), harness belt or disabled persons belt |
| forward facing rear seats * | Lap belt, three-point lap and diagonal belt (may be static or inertia), harness belt, disabled persons belt or child restraint |
*Includes outboard forward-facing seats fitted to un-bodied tricycles.
Seat belts are not needed for:
- three-wheeled mopeds
- quadricycles that have an unladen weight not more than 250kg
- tip-up occasional seats
- a sit astride, saddle type driver’s seat on unbodied tricycles or quadricycles
- any sit astride, saddle type passenger seat that’s immediately in front or behind the driver in a longitudinal plane
Some unbodied vehicles may have been ‘type approved’ without seat belts. You can accept these if there’s evidence that they’re type approved to 92/61/EEC or 2002/24/EC. This information is usually written on the manufacturer’s plate.