I notice that alot of drivers are not wearing there seat belts nowadays, I for one am one of them, I once had a rig go on its side on the Target Roundabout at the junction of the A40, and it was the seat belt that trapped me in the cab, never wore one since.
I’m one of them as well; funnily enough I belt up when in the car, second nature. I keep trying to remember in the truck, I think it’s possibly because being on multi-drop you get in the cab, deal with the paperwork, check route for next drop, insert immobiliser tag, start engine, re-set tag axle and rear suspension, light ■■■, scratch arse, then finally move off; in other words you just forget. Not an excuse I know but I bet it’s similar for a lot of us.
I do note, though, that spot fines have just been doubled to 60 quid; and t’other day I had a beat bobby look up at me in the cab and make the “belt up” gesture, so no doubt they’ve been wised up that they can get more Brownie points than ever now. To be fair to the bobby he could have pulled me over and booked me on the spot I suppose.
When did seatbelts become compulsory to be fitted/worn in hgv’s anyway?
Warren T. Claim:
When did seatbelts become compulsory to be fitted/worn in hgv’s anyway?
About three years ago I think; might be wrong but I suspect it was always the case that if fitted they had to be worn. First time I came across them in a truck was in the mid-80’s, in a 16-tonne Bedford TL of all things. I did try them and didn’t like 'em, and I clearly remember saying at the time that if they ever became compulsory in HGV’s that was my licence going in the bin!
Biggest problem I found was trying to lean forward to see out of an angled T-junction; nowadays with much better mirrors it’s a lot easier of course although that old Bedford cab, whilst a bit basic, was a lot better to see out of than many modern designs.
We have a Toyata Avensis as the family car, IF you dont belt up in that thing a really annoying bell things goes off, and then it gets louder!!
Up until the Toyota I never wore a belt in a car, now its second nature in the car and the Disco (Which does not have a buzzer)
Still never wore one in a truck, until this summer, when I wear Hi Viz polo shirts (Yeah I know) and not wearing a belt shows up like a neon light saying BOOK ME!!!
I think seat belts have had to be fitted from 2001.The police have been dishing out fixed penalties for non compliance in Norfolk and
Cambridgeshire for a while now.
i dont know if its right or ■■■■■■■■, but we have to now fiil in our defect sheet if the seatbelt was fastened when you got in the cab[across the front of the seat or behind it to stop the buzzer going off when your driving without it on[i allways tick not fasten as i dont do dobbing,grassing.the reason this was brought in was because they recon doing it up behind the seat was knackering the belts up, costing loads of money to repair and by them not working right possibly putting the drivers who want to wear them lives at risk.
gnasty gnome:
light ■■■,.
SO Sir, thats £60 for not wearing your seat belt and £30 for Smoking in a company vehicle.
strip of black gaffa tape stuck on your work top.
job done
hptruck:
I notice that alot of drivers are not wearing there seat belts nowadays, I for one am one of them, I once had a rig go on its side on the Target Roundabout at the junction of the A40, and it was the seat belt that trapped me in the cab, never wore one since.
Maybe a better option being trapped in sometimes than being thrown through the windscreen?? I have worn mine since a jackknife in 97 and dont see the why some drivers refuse to wear them in trucks while happily wearing them in their cars!!
"colin.f.whitetrans:
"
dont see the why some drivers refuse to wear them in trucks while happily wearing them in their cars!!
THAT SI A GOOD POINT
£60 ? thats a bargain. its $115 here.
Ive only been done once for not wearing my seatbelt, Was driving my Van into Hereford down the A49 from Leominster, and just after that first Roundabout as you enter the outskirts of Hereford, was the cops parked up waiting for people coming off the roundabout. Need I say that once they have pulled you over they will try to do you for anything else on your vehicle that isnt in order. Ended up with a £30 fine.
I dont usually wear mine while in the truck, as it restricts my mobility. especially as im not a small person, some of those belts are quite short.
And as for the vehicle bleeping when you dont have your seatlbelt done up. Just disconnect the sensor wires under the seat
Driving RCVS I have been told that we are supposed to wear seat belts when we move a certain distance between pick ups I cant remember how far but never do only on runs to the tip or back to the depot do we wear seatbelts
I wear it becaus ewe have to the thing I dont like is it cuts around me guts 
and there aint a lot of pull left.
Be good if you could buy an extension that would bring it across to around ur belly button 
Ok so i’m a fat bartender but hell its comfort I need
And not comfort food either
You can buy DOT approved seatbelt extensions. I had to buy one to do my UK training. check ebay
Nothing to do with the law. This proves an easy argument. A few years ago in a stormy week, two of our trucks were blown over. One was mine, I had seatbelt on, unclipped carefully and stepped out uninjured, the other a few days later went over, driver had no seatbelt on, was thrown across the cab, broken arm, punctured lung, five days in intensive care, three months off work, wife and kids worried sick. Like I said, no argument. Unlike cameras, it’s not there as a money maker. It’s there to save your life.
In volvo’s the seat belt is part of abs system i tol.
in event of a crash seat belt tension up holding you in place
if no seat belt more serious injurys
You cant release the parking brake in my car unless the driver has the seatbelt on correctly.
I suppose thats the way it will be for all vehicles eventually.
Like many others I wear in the car but find them restrictive in commercial vehicles,What would happenif the belt was fitted but you asked the fitter to remove it.Some "larger"drivers might try fitting a bulldog clip to the belt in the fully extended state.Mine makes me need to pee all the time,though thats another topic.
gnasty gnome:
Warren T. Claim:
When did seatbelts become compulsory to be fitted/worn in hgv’s anyway?About three years ago I think; might be wrong but I suspect it was always the case that if fitted they had to be worn. First time I came across them in a truck was in the mid-80’s, in a 16-tonne Bedford TL of all things. I did try them and didn’t like 'em, and I clearly remember saying at the time that if they ever became compulsory in HGV’s that was my licence going in the bin!
Biggest problem I found was trying to lean forward to see out of an angled T-junction; nowadays with much better mirrors it’s a lot easier of course although that old Bedford cab, whilst a bit basic, was a lot better to see out of than many modern designs.
it became compulsory in 2001 for HGVs although for some years the police did exercise a lot of discretion because drivers were not used to wearing them. these days i notice that they still use discretion and neither myself nor the guy i was double manned with have ever had a ticking off for not wearing one. i think the police recognise as we do that there is little advantage to seatbelts in trucks.
as said, a car is different though. i never fail to wear one in my car