Seat belt laws - for "classic" cars....

Factual Questions
21

Their speedometer was probably as unreliable as other parts of the car!

22

Not just seat belts, but side mirrors too. We have a 1970 Ford LTD. It’s got lap belts, but no shoulder belts. It’s got a drivers side mirror, but not one on the passenger side. It’s legal for us to drive that way, because the car meets the requirements from when it was built.

23

I’m not sure passenger side mirrors are required by law in the U.S. yet unless the inside one is obstructed. In Georgia, side mirrors are only required on passenger cars if the rear view from the inside mirror is obstructed. The fact that all cars sold here have both side mirrors is probably market driven. I had an '88 Ford Festiva without a passenger side mirror.

I remember the first car my dad had with two outside mirrors was an '82 Chevette. Since both mirrors were manually adjusted, the passenger side one ended up being an ornament for all practical purposes due to the difficulty of setting it. Electrically adjusted mirrors have setting them much easier.

24

In the UK there have been a succession of regulations about ‘classic cars’. The latest says that:

  • cars that were built more than 40 years ago are exempt from the annual MOT roadworthiness test unless owners voluntarily elect to have their vehicle checked or it has been substantially changed in the past 30 years (A whole subsection on what constitutes “substantial”). Note that this stays at 40 years so more cars are included every year.

*If no seat belts are fitted as standard (1966 for front seats and 1987 for all seats), you have no legal obligation to have them fitted. However, you should bear in mind that children under 3 years old will not be able to travel in your vehicle. Many people have (sensibly) fitted belts to their exempt cars and this is not regarded as a ‘substantial’ mod.

*Most people who own classic cars insure them through a ‘club’ insurance scheme, and most car marques have a club. Insurance is usually quite cheap on the grounds that the owners of these vehicles take great care of them and tend to drive appropriately.