mnkywrench Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 hello everyone, i am getting really confused on the seatbelt laws in the coach area. I am in the process of renovating a 1984 sunraider. totally gutted the interior and is attempting to reconfigure the layout to suit my needs. the question I cannot find exactly is regarding seatbelts in the coach area. I read one comment here from 2016by Linda stating that they were not required. camperreport.com states that they are required for all passengers in the rv, I am confused as can be.. I want to maybe carry a third or forth person for overnight camping ( i don't think having 4 people for a week would keep me sane) i just want to know to see what or how I have to change the seating arrangement for seat belt bolting thank you in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 (edited) Google RV Seatbelt laws. This is one of the first hits: https://www.cruiseamerica.com/rv-adventures/rv-lifestyle/rv-seat-belt-laws-in-every-us-state-canada So basically every place is going to be different. It seems more common for everyone to need them, or anyone under a certain age. You also have to think of safe mounting points and seating arraignments. Just bolting them through the floor isn't necessarily going to be safe... I am not sure if there are regulations about that too, but I would imagine so. Edited February 21, 2022 by thewanderlustking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkywrench Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 any suggestions on where to look for the regulations? i am tempted to just go ask a law agency Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 A "law agency" like the police department wouldn't know. But you live in Cali... Go to the local safety inspection station and ask. They might not know off the top, but they should know who to ask or have access to such resources. Google is your friend for something kinda obscure like this. But it will take some digging to find... I seem to remember seeing that you couldn't have seatbeltlts on a couch facing to the center. But that the occupant had to be facing forward or possibly even backward. As for mounting and attachment points while there might not be actual regulations, give it some care and thought. Just going through a weak floor, won't be enough. And look around. You might already HAVE them. My rear seatbelts are hidden under the dining seat cushion floor. I had it for a while before I even realized they were there. I think I only have them in the forward facing seat. But there might be ones under the rear facing one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john*thomas Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 All states have their own laws. No belts are required where I live if the belts were not originally standard equipment. So I would not be required to put them in my RV if I didn't want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 (edited) They were required in 1968 so if there are no belts there still should be anchors. I remember the up roar very well, funny how people argue about things that could save their lives. I believe there are only 2 states that don't require them to be worn and that may have changed. Edited February 21, 2022 by Maineah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 2 hours ago, john*thomas said: All states have their own laws. No belts are required where I live if the belts were not originally standard equipment. So I would not be required to put them in my RV if I didn't want to. John your Odyssey was built in California and built to California standards. RV's were required to have seat belts in all seats by 1986. Yours had seat belts in the front and back from the factory Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkywrench Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 18 hours ago, thewanderlustking said: A "law agency" like the police department wouldn't know. But you live in Cali... Go to the local safety inspection station and ask. They might not know off the top, but they should know who to ask or have access to such resources. Google is your friend for something kinda obscure like this. But it will take some digging to find... I seem to remember seeing that you couldn't have seatbeltlts on a couch facing to the center. But that the occupant had to be facing forward or possibly even backward. As for mounting and attachment points while there might not be actual regulations, give it some care and thought. Just going through a weak floor, won't be enough. And look around. You might already HAVE them. My rear seatbelts are hidden under the dining seat cushion floor. I had it for a while before I even realized they were there. I think I only have them in the forward facing seat. But there might be ones under the rear facing one. I know that I don't have them on my 1984 sunraider. I have completely gutted the inside of the coach part . if i am going to make attachment points, they will go through the floor and into the frame. I will try with a local safety inspection station. Thank you for pointing me in a great direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkywrench Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 10 hours ago, linda s said: John your Odyssey was built in California and built to California standards. RV's were required to have seat belts in all seats by 1986. Yours had seat belts in the front and back from the factory Linda S Hi Linda S . My Sunraider was built in Vallejo California (1984) . how does that apply to older RV's ? retrofit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 You probably have front seat belts but maybe none in the rear of the coach. Whether it's legal for them to sit back there with no seat belts or not can you imagine having your friends and family flying around back there in an accident. I have seat belts at my rear dinette but just to be safe I put my table under the overhead bunk. Not only could it hurt people in the back but it could fly forward and hit me in the back of the head in the driver seat. Number one thing to mess up a great holiday is to die Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extech Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 my 84 dolphin had seat belts in the back bed, and in the couch behind the table. both were connected to some angle iron bolted to the bases where the cushions sit. not safe at all. i took them out as even with seat belts i dont think its safe for people to ride in a stick house on wheels. in a wreak they disintigrate . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 Pickup seat belt laws are kind of sketchy as to when they were required and there is little info for imports but it was sort of mandatory in the late 70' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 I was a heavy advocate of seat belt/shoulder harnesses being a track racer in the late 60's after one of my buddies died in an accident that he could have lived through with a 3 point seat belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extech Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 1 hour ago, Maineah said: I was a heavy advocate of seat belt/shoulder harnesses being a track racer in the late 60's after one of my buddies died in an accident that he could have lived through with a 3 point seat belt. another example of good stuff we get from racing. my wife crashed a sprint car at 100mph, 3 roles and two flips. cameout fine. the car not so much. teltach said 9000 rpm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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