cornish rattler

Well-Known Member

• Oct 16, 2014

• #1

Hi guys

Mates grand son ( 10 year old ) wants to come offroading with us at some point and just thought i would ask as mine is a 1988 county fitted with side facing rear seats ( not bench ) with individual lap / seat belts fitted.

what do you think

 

Station House

Well-Known Member

• Oct 16, 2014

• #2

Legally OK but more a matter of comfort/safety and your own view on risk

Personally feel they're safer without the lap belts

 

blue beasty

Leaks an prone to bits dropping off

• Oct 16, 2014

• #3

So far as I understand the main concern with lap belts is injuries caused during head on collisions. Off road the risk of rolling would be much higher and being strapped in would be safer I'd have thought

 

cornish rattler

Well-Known Member

• Oct 16, 2014

• #4

Cheer's guy's yeah i understand what you are saying i certainly wouldn't be doing anything stupid offroad with kid's in the back

 

Last edited: Oct 16, 2014

Lowlight

Active Member

• Oct 16, 2014

• #5

I thought side facing seats were illegal under a certain age? I put a pair of mini bus seats in the back so the kids are forward facing with seat belts, they're also very sturdy seats that would offer some (?) protection if the worst happened.

 

Lowlight

Active Member

• Oct 16, 2014

• #6

The law is that you can't fit a child seat in a side facing seat:
https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules

Not sure if this is the same for a booster seat? Once they're out of a booster side facing is fine

 

Pikey

Dummy Ejection Facilitator..

• Oct 16, 2014

• #7

Can't use any restraints inc lapbelts on sf seats. But ya can carry em unrestrained

 

FlyingPete

Well-Known Member

• Oct 17, 2014

• #8

AFAIK it's a minimum age or minimum height for using the adult belt.

Legally the whole side-facing seat thing is an example of the law not really being set up with land rovers in mind. Isn't the whole point of a booster cushion is to make the shoulder belt sit properly. If there's no shoulder belt, surely that issue goes away and the standard seat is suitable. It strikes me as monumentally daft that you're not supposed to use the lap belts (which are adjustable for size) to stop kids rolling around in the back, but if the exact same vehicle has no seatbelts fitted that's fine. On a bus you can also sit forwards, backwards, sideways or stand up, so clearly they never crash.

If in doubt, put the lad up front (I'm sure he'll think it's great fun).

 

P

pants007

Active Member

• Oct 18, 2014

• #9

lowlight! can you post a pic of your rear seats?

 

L

leejunfan1

Member

• Oct 29, 2014

• #10

I put coach seats in my 90 a couple of years ago; they are from Rescroft and called Defender III, a coincidence i think.... Put in a 3 MM steel plate on the whole of the rear floor and another steel plate underneath the tub so it stops the rear legs of the seats pulling forward in case of a crash. I also put in rear arch mods that make them like the 2007 Defender model, allows seats to be mounted further apart so there is rear access between them,

 

L

leejunfan1

Member

• Oct 29, 2014

• #11

i also did the center bulkhead mod to lower it, removed middle seat and put in a low cubby box so the kids can climb out front if need be.

 

F

fireball05

New Member

• Nov 7, 2014

• #12

Nice seats. Most like that in the back are so wide there is no center path for ingress egress.