Buddy Seats are they legal

[iowcamper]

Thinking of putting a buddy seat in my van to sit behind the passengers side either buying one second hand or making one with the plans on wiki so that my kids can take a friend with us on our getaways, my question is: is it legal to travel with a passenger sat on the buddy seat and if so should there be a seat belt on there - obviously i would feel better if there was one anyway and couldnt see it being too big a job to fit a waist style belt

iowcamper

[Plasticman]

Seat has to be fixed and as long as the occupant! is rear facing then no belt required.
mike

[DarkPoet]

I wasn't going to bother with rear belts at all but there's a world of difference between whats legal & whats safe IMHO

[Plasticman]

True and there is a world of difference between correctly fitted belts and those where no allowance was made for them but they have been firred for the feelgood factor
The original question was with regards legality. if you are getting hot on belts then maybe start a thread on the subject and not cloud or confuse simple questions
mike

[Alice]

Our old van had a rear facing buddy seat with a static 3 point belt fitted on the same mounting points as front passenger belt. I fitted it myself but got it checked at a fitting place, and my garage checked it too when they MOT'd it. All perfectly legal. Only used it with son on high backed car seat though, as buddy box had no seat back.
To be honest if I was to get a buddy seat in new van at some point I would get one with a back rest, so any age kid could use it.

[Plasticman]

Hi Alice, are you talking about a seat as in the bog box? or as per like devon on a bracket that fits to it and that sits between and behind the front two
mike

[Alice]

It was a devon one, but I don't mean the fold up side bit, we always left that folded down when we were driving. I mean the bog box bit behind passenger seat. It was fixed in place, the table slotted behind it, but it wasn't particularly stable as a backrest, I used it because the r 'n' r bed/ seat only had one 3 point belt and I like both my kids strapped in on a 3 pointer really.

[SYNCRO]

I've got one fitted in my Autohomes Kamper and all it has is a lap belt.



Looking at pic box is in back to front !!

[1664]

That buddy seat is fixed to the vehicle though - as is my flip up one. Bog boxes aren't (well, not the ones I've seen anyway)

E D I T: Sorry, yes I have seen a few bog boxes fixed as a furniture item

[Plasticman]

Yep I think the devons had an ally angle fitted to the bulkhead and a fitting on the box to hook into it, that said mine is screwed to the bulkhead direct,
lap belt is fine in my opinion
mike

[SYNCRO]

That buddy seat is fixed to the vehicle though - as is my flip up one. Bog boxes aren't (well, not the ones I've seen anyway)

E D I T: Sorry, yes I have seen a few bog boxes fixed as a furniture item

ERRRRR its not, couldn't be arsed to bolt it back in when I put new carpet in!!!!