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Owners of pre-\u201965 cars reveal why they kitted their classics out \u2013 \u2028and are encouraging YOU to do the same with your pride and joy<\/p>\n
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Words David Simister<\/p>\n
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Classic owners are encouraging fellow enthusiasts to fit seatbelts to older classics if possible \u2013 even if they aren\u2019t a legal requirement.<\/p>\n
Last month CCW reported on concerns raised by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs about whether roadside cameras designed to detect drivers not wearing seatbelts would lead to owners of pre-1965 vehicles \u2013 for which seatbelts aren\u2019t a legal requirement \u2013 being issued with notices of intended prosecution.<\/p>\n
While Northampton Police told CCW that classic owners should get in touch with the police directly if they believe they\u2019ve been issued fines incorrectly, that force and Thames Valley Police both encouraged enthusiasts to fit and wear seatbelts if they\u2019re in a position to do so \u2013 and a number of CCW readers who\u2019ve fitted seatbelts to pre-\u201965 cars are now encouraging fellow owners to follow suit.<\/p>\n
Phil Checketts, from Worcester, said: I recently fitted lap and diagonal static belts to my 1962 Ford Zodiac.<\/p>\n
\u2018It came without any belts or fixing holes, the main reason for fitting them was for front passenger safety. I didn\u2019t feel it was fair to expect any front-seat passenger to take the risk that I as the driver was prepared to take. My passenger and I now wear the belts every time and don\u2019t even think about it!\u2019<\/p>\n
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Thames Valley Police have encouraged enthusiasts to fit and wear seatbelts if they\u2019re in a position to do so<\/p>\n
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Sandra O\u2019Sullivan, who has also fitted her classic with seatbelts, said: \u2018People often assume that because they consider themselves to be a careful driver that they will be okay \u2013 but it\u2019s the others on the roads to be wary of.<\/p>\n
\u2018As a seat-belt survivor of a head-on crash in the 1990s in a then \u2018modern’ with a lorry that was on the wrong side of the road, I accept that my view is coloured. While crashes involving classics are rare, the ones reported seem to almost always caused by the driver of the \u2018modern\u2019 with the poor classic driver and their passengers being in the wrong place at the wrong time.\u2019<\/p>\n
Richard Driver, said: \u2018In 1994 I had my Ford Zodiac fully fitted with seatbelts. I used the car extensively with our children in the back, nicely safe in their belts. I now own a 1963 Ford Galaxie convertible and the first job after purchasing her was having front and rear seatbelts fitted. Nowadays it just doesn\u2019t feel right to not wear them. I am 70 years old so was well used to not having or wearing belts.\u2019<\/p>\n
Gary Coleman, from Hampshire, said that he would always fit classics with seatbelts after recently suffering injuries as a passenger in a modern car that hit a van that pulled out in front of it.<\/p>\n
He said: \u2018This could quite easily have been a classic on drum brakes\u00a0at 40mph on a pleasant country drive. A lapse in concentration on another driver\u2019s part is all that is needed. I shudder to think of my resultant condition if there were no seatbelts. I am all for retaining originality of classics, however some sense must be seriously considered around safety.\u2019<\/p>\n
But David Jones, who owns a 1960 Lancia Appia, pointed out that retrofitting classics with belts isn\u2019t always straightforward: \u2018I agree that where possible seatbelts should be retrofitted for safety\u2019s sake for the car occupants. That being said, there are probably many vehicles where it\u2019s impossible to do this. My Appia saloon has no B-post and I wouldn\u2019t dream of drilling into the car\u2019s roof or any other visible part of the car to fit belts.<\/p>\n
\u2018I imagine it would be a possibility to fit lap belts, but these in their own way can also be dangerous.\u2019<\/p>\n
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\u2018I bought my Mini last year with the intention of it being used not just by myself but my wife and two young children as well. For the latter, I\u2019ll require three-point belts compatible with car seats, but I\u2019ll also want to fit at the very least a set of lap belts to the front as well. I see this modification in the same way as improving the lighting and making the electrics more reliable; it\u2019s all about mitigating risk so I can enjoy driving my car. It means I know I\u2019ve done what I can to make it as safe as possible.\u2019<\/p>\n
CHRIS HOPE, FEATURES EDITOR<\/p>\n
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